


[k]Nights in White Satin

by EvenEcho



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Violence, Brief Loss of Emotion, Brief Loss of Morals, Coming to Terms with Murder and Violence, Dark, Dark Magic, Extremely Slow Burn, F/F, F/M, Lots of plot, M/M, Mental Illness (It doesn't play a huge part in the story but it is there), Multi, Murder, On Hiatus, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Polyamory, Possibly Bi Polar Character, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Self-Esteem Issues, Vampire Draco Malfoy, Vampire Hermione Granger, Vampires, accidental murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 13:36:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 67,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8802916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvenEcho/pseuds/EvenEcho
Summary: (Very Slow Burn)Draco has been given a second chance at life, after his near twin brother, Hydrus, had taken his place in Hogwarts all those years, and finally he meets Harry Potter. He lived with his vampire maker and Severus who was saved from Nagini by Mortimer, a mysterious vampire and the sire of Draco. What happens when Hermione gets involved and curious, or when Mrs Weasley makes a mistake and regrets hurting the darling girl her son loves so much? What about the dark rising power coming from the USA to kill said vampire, Mortimer?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Kinda Beta'd but Idk, what's the different between a friend reading over your story and then a beta reader? Editing?

    Once the first born of the Malfoy’s was broken, he was of no use and therefore returned to the pitiful cell he had spent most of his life in. Without the normal luxury of the rich purebloods and without their decency, he was nothing more than a used and abused creature, not worth living. So, across the table from Voldemort’s ever loyal Severus Snape was Mortimer Norwood, a poised and stubborn vampire under Voldemort’s protection and control, despite the constant want for freedom as a vampire and a constant yearn for control that he couldn’t have, he was content to watch over Severus as he had for the longest time; at least since he was fresh out of Hogwarts so long ago, twenty years previous to his seventh year, or somewhere around there. Mortimer was sent to rid of their population problem in the basement and when he entered he and Fenrir got busy on snacking and ripping the wizards and humans apart, but when they focused on the blond haired boy, Mortimer darted for him first and claimed him, pressing his thigh against the boy’s relaxed head. Fenrir carried the bodies out and when the meeting had left the upper building. Mortimer crouched down and moved the boy’s face around to look at him. He placed sweet kisses along his jaw and neck before biting and then releasing him before feeding him his blood. This was such a beautiful specimen of a wizard. He was not to be let to waste, had he been known about by Mortimer years ago he would have taken him in and raised him into a brilliant young man, ready to be turned and live as a perfect and graceful being like himself for a very long time, as long as he could keep himself alive.

    Mortimer apparated them out of the house and to his own apartment, in a muggle building, where he pulled the drapes closed and rested the boy down on the bed. He hadn’t a name but when he heard a subtle knock at his door and it opened itself he heard a name being whispered out.

   “Mortimer…” It called and then Mortimer aimed his wand and looked at Severus who was ready to cast and defend himself. Mortimer crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.

   “I see you take an interest in the boy.”

  “Who do you think has been keeping him alive?” Severus pushed past Mortimer who let his body be swayed. “His name was supposed to be Draco, Draco Lucius Malfoy, but _they_ promised him to the Dark Lord, something about loyalty. Swine of the pureblood lineage they so pride themselves upon.” His voice monotonous as ever and carried a menacing and calm darkness that came with his unwavering words. “I see you turned him. Was he that hard to resist?”

   “You say that as if you aren’t glad he is alive.”

   “It’s because he isn’t alive,  not anymore, but either way, I will take him from you, off your hands. He doesn’t have to be a burden to you when he could be a son to me.” Although Severus had never wanted a son, he had been told of having a godson, not that despicable second child that Severus couldn’t bare to stand, Hydrus Lucius Malfoy. Mortimer clicked his tongue and he stood behind Severus, his hands sliding up from the small of his back under his robes up to his shoulders where he rubbed them softly. He looked at the boy.

  “You can teach him magic, but I would like to teach him how to be a vampire. We just need to help finish this war, and I need to promised safe keeping from the ultimate evil out there.”

  “I’m sure that could be arranged.” Severus drawled before pulling away from the bed and slithering out of Mortimer’s grasp. Mortimer looked down at the boy and crawled onto the bed, his ran a hooked finger over Draco’s cheek and then under his chin before bopping him in the nose gently. He smiled and his eyes fell half closed at Severus who scowled under the attention.

  “I will call if you are needed. I am taking my leave. _Mortimer_.”

  “Severus.” he smiled while the bat looking man really did let his cloth wings bellow as his flew through the air despite his mortal status and ever aging body. Mortimer kept the boy there for days, he didn’t leave and he was as good as hidden, mortal magic did little to find his dead and unmoving corpse of a body as well as Draco who was currently in a death sleep, repairing his body on what little blood he had as a human and what he was given by his maker. That’s when there was a call for him. He could feel that spell, that one that was used to summon him, the one he had created and only gave to those he thought he cared for, or he did care for. He apparated to the caller’s point. After a few moments, Mortimer returned to his apartment.

   Mortimer held Severus up and took them to the apartment which he lay Severus down beside Draco who was basically a corpse at this point. Severus fell asleep and for a few days, Mortimer let them sleep. He had gone out to eat and then he had brought back ingredients to brew potions to keep Severus healthy and then let his wrist bleed into the wanting mouth of Draco who woke only enough to hold his wrist closer to his mouth as his new fangs started to sink into his skin as all new vampires did with their makers. Severus sat up and realized he wasn’t in his robes and rather in a pair of pajama pants that were too short on him and a tunic that was slightly too tight since his shoulders and chest were much broader and larger than Mortimer’s, who was thin and lean and much leaner than Severus. The potion’s master turned to look at Draco and then he looked over to Mortimer who sat on a chair, he was reading some book about what seemed to be poetry ( _how bloody cliche’,_ Severus thought a little upset, _he’s not actually reading, the book is upside down_ ). Mortimer looked at Severus and then at the boy he set his book down and crossed his legs.

  “He’s been sleeping, and feeding. He’s probably healthier than he had been for most of his life. You, well, you’re alive aren’t you? Still blood and flesh, with your own will instead of death’s and the will of others’ keeping your heart beating and your brain sending off information to all your little nerve endings and what not. Don’t worry, I don’t expect a _thank you_ from you of all people.”

   “Prat...I would like to take Draco to one of my estates. He will live the rest of his life in a much larger home, rather than this crowded little shack you call a dwelling.” Severus wasn’t going to say thank you, not to this person of all people. He was thankful that he saved his godson, the fact that he had never known the child or heard him or about him besides the random screams when he was being tortured and abused by the other Death Eaters and the Dark Lord, he was thankful that he had something akin to a child, someone to help him keep his mind off his past, off his misdeeds and the murders and horrific curses he had committed, that Harry had kept him out of Azkaban for his suffering and action as a spy for the light in the end, at least he would fight if Harry hadn’t wanted to saved him, he should probably let the boy know he was alive. “And what do you think you’re going to do? You were an accomplice of the Dark Lord, do you expect them to let you off so easily? Especially a vampire of all things.”

   “I never left a trace, the only liability would be another Death Eater and the only one that paid any mind to me was you. Maybe I should have left you to die.” Beside Severus, the vampire sat down and he ran his fingers through the long platinum hair of Draco. Cracked with split ends through all of his hair. Hair that was brushed but still contained dirt as Mortimer hadn’t bathed him yet, for he didn’t want to make him feel any less powerful and out of control than he had been for his entire living life; in his unlife he was to be powerful and able to regain the power stripped of him even before conception as a frail and unwanted vow of loyalty to the Dark Lord, that bastard. At least he had always kept his end of the deal, but now, Mortimer had to weigh his options, without the powerful wizard, who would keep him from the real dangers out there, the real monsters and problems that were out to get him?

  “What are you thinking about so hard?” It was almost sweet, it was near the nicest that Severus had spoken to him in so many long years, since the late seventies at least. However, no matter how sweet the potions master could be there was always a rough coldness from all his lonely years alone and sourness of rejection that poisoned his phrases.

    “I am the maker of this child,” he rested his hand on the thin side of Draco, along his ribs that were slightly less pointed as they had been before the turn and before the copious  feeding, “and I should be there to teach him about our ways, he is of course, my child as well. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind sharing him , but if you cannot get over your still burning passion and wanton lust you feel towards me, then I could always take him and raise him myself.” There was a smile, crooked, and pointed with sharp fangs there to remind Severus of all the times that those fangs had pierced his skin and how he had enjoyed it just as much as any other wizard that got bit especially during such intimate moments, like the ones they had shared after Lily. There was a scowl, much like the most common facial expression that Severus displayed, but there was something else, something very angry was behind that particular scowl and then Severus got up to search for his robes.

    “Where are my robes?”

   “Hanging up to dry, I couldn’t let the blood go to waste in a washer so I took care of them myself. Sew those nasty holes as well. You’re welcome.”

   “Give me my wand.”

   “On the dresser o’ lost love mine.” Mortimer sang, just adding to the anger growing inside of Severus before his found his clothes and waved his wand to exchange the clothes on his body with the ones hanging to dry. He summoned clothes to dress Draco in temporarily and when he turned around Mortimer was whispering in Draco’s ear, of course the blond was stirring and giving quite responses until Mortimer helped him sit up, the boy had sad grey eyes, much like his father and his skin was pale, more so than humanly possible and it put Severus on edge, just something he would have to get used to.

   “Hello, Draco,” he started, “I am Severus Snape, your godfather. I’m going to be taking care of you from now on.” The face before Severus was blank, as if he was processing everything but nothing at the same time. It took a moment and Draco was gone, then he felt hands behind him and breath dusting over his neck. There were a few chuckles from where Mortimer was still resting, his body stretched out on his side while he stared at his ex partner.

   “Come here, Draco. We don not harm people like Severus. Not unless he begs for it. He will be providing us shelter from now on. You will have your own room,” he looked to Severus who nodded, “and one of us will always be within a same vicinity to you of course in case you ever need anything.”

   “I’m starving.” Draco whispered and before Draco could bite Mortimer grabbed the back of his neck and picked him up before carrying him back to the bed and restraining Draco who was fighting him. Severus hadn’t met a vampire who hadn’t been alive for at least a decade, one that had at least a little control over himself, but he assumed that Draco hadn’t been allowed to have control over anything as a human as well. It would likely be twice as hard now, but Mortimer settled him down, letting Draco bite into him while the boy moaned and held himself up against the older vampire.

   “He won’t be like this much longer. It’s just his body making up for the trauma that had been afflicted upon it.” Mortimer dismissed simply and Severus just sighed, he needed tea or something, he was hungry and thirsty and he wanted to go home and reassure his true love’s child that he was alright and would help aid him and his friends in rebuilding and reestablishing order around Hogwarts and the rest of the wizarding world. However he realized that this new, he wouldn’t call Draco a burden, more like a slight inconvenience but one that would be tolerable as he would definitely get the satisfaction and hopefully he would grow to love him as a child, but a child who nonetheless who need some serious issues with adjusting to life, not only basic wizarding and human things but now also to the vampiric disease he had keeping him alive and if he continued to eat and sate his hunger then he should be very well in the long run, Severus supposed. He had little to no idea on how vampires worked, nothing more nor less than what Mortimer had told him twenty years past.

    “Do you have a floo system?”

   “No. Why would I of all creatures need to use floo to get where I want. I have always apparated or transfigured to fly.” Mortimer rubbed Draco’s back and pushed him back. Draco licked the wounds on his sire’s neck and then turned to look at Severus, his head on Mortimer’s chest and in that moment Draco looked like a prince, beautiful and regal, his eyes burned with inhuman fire and his skin glew with a radiance that could rival the fairest of wizards. Then Severus went to take Draco into his arms.

    “I’ll see you at my house then, I suppose.” Severus gave him the address and then he apparated out to his garden outside his home. He thanked the Gods above that his garden held only the most dangerous of plants and therefore was protected from the sun since most ingredients needed the darkness to thrive, he didn’t grow flowers, he grew ingredients. Severus lead Draco inside and then left him on a chair in the sitting room and then a house elf ran past Severus and offered her services to help him. Severus had to double take and realized that the elf was one from Hogwarts, her name was Winky and he assumed she was here because someone else had brought her there. She started to tidy up the room since there was a person inside. That’s when Hermione and Ron ran down stairs. Severus held his arms out and gave them a look and made them back out of that room.

    “You’re alive. Harry said he saw you...dead.” Ron said, as tactless as ever.

    “Yes, I am quite alive. However, I am curious as to how you found my residence and how you got inside, there are several wards around this property.”

   Hermione gave him a sorry smile and he sighed, of course it was the smart one. He lead them to the front door.

  “We came to see if you had a house elf, we are going to set them free and before we could do much Winky said that she heard someone and that she had to prepare the rooms since she doesn’t like being a free elf and her home was destroyed.” Hermione said, “Would you mind taking care of her, since you are here and she was fond of you back at the school?”

   “Sure, please, leave, I have someone here of importance and I must make a potion to help his illness.”

  “I would love to assist-”

   “No thank you Ms, Granger, I am quite capable of making potions on my own. I will send an owl to Grimmauld Place to assure you all of my health and asking you all over to help explain the circumstances and how I will assist in the rebuilding of the post war world.” He assured them and then they were outside his door and he tried hard not to, but he slammed the door and locked it. How had the two found his home, they must have found it in records or something since he hadn’t given it to anybody but Mortimer and that was after his parents had died and when he was...when they were together still. So, he must have been the weak link, that sorry excuse of a vampire, Severus thought heatedly as he walked back into the room with Draco who was talking to the elf who was slightly terrified but didn’t move as to not be rude.

  “Winky,” Severus called, “that is your name, is it not?”

  “It is sir, would you like to sign the contract, the one which allows me to be yours officially.”   

  “Sure, but for now, please take the blond’s measurements and have them sent up the stairs and down the hall, that room is my study for now. Draco, behave and I will be down shortly, I need to make you something. Your room is down the hallway and in any of those rooms beside my study, or any room you would like really.” Severus stomped up the stairs and walked briskly to his study before shutting the door. It wasn’t really a study, instead it was a fully ventilated potions lab. He went to the hatch on the ceiling and pulled it down before pulling down the ladder and ascending. He gathered his ingredients and went back to heat his cauldron and making the same potion he had made so many years ago. It was sad to him how he remembered it. It was similar to the wolfsbane brew he had to make four years previous for Mr. Lupin, but with some substitutions here and there. He heard a knock on his door after he ruined the first batch, which had him in an extra sour mood.

   Severus opened the door and Mortimer walked inside, he leaned against the door, closing it behind him and resting his hands on Severus’ waist. Severus groaned and pushed him back. He went back to his station to re clean his station at yet another failed bunch. He wasn’t doing something right.

   “Did you add the devil’s tooth?”

   “Of course, that’s one of the major ingredients.”

   “Did you add a drop of the vampire’s blood? A not so major part, but one needed in order to keep the potion stable and to dispel the poison and getting rid of the dark purple colour.” Mortimer watched as Severus relaxed and deflated, so that was what he was missing.

    “God find you spawn, Mortimer. Please bring him to me.”  
   “Which room is he in?”

   “I don’t know, that’s why I am sending you to find him.” Severus sat down in his chair behind the potions bench. He started the potion again knowing that it would be a while before the blood was needed and then Mortimer got out of the chair and went to the stairs. He ran off towards the kitchen and into the back rooms that most people avoided when they were there, whether it was when Death Eaters came or when Mortimer had been there with all of his vampire friends and their pet humans. He ran back and there was a mirror at the end of the hall and then he heard something be knocked over in a room to the left. He tripped over the long black and green carpet that ran the length of the halls and then he pulled the carpet back and under the floor, down a hatch and down the ladder was Draco who was resting in a warm pile of furs. He didn’t mind the few scurrying bugs that ran across him or the floor nor did he care about the lone snake that had made itself a home in a box that it had burrowed in after the wood rotted gave in.  

    “Draco, darling, get away from there.” Draco looked up at him and in the darkness the room hid them in, although with their eyes it was just slightly dim, but Draco’s eyes reflected the small amount of light coming in from the open hatch and he looked similar to deer in the headlights or like big cat ready to attack. Whatever it was, it was more animalistic than a vampire should be and Mortimer offered his hand, waiting for Draco to go to him. He got up and shook his body before going up to Mortimer like a kitten and rubbing his body against his before climbing up the ladder and running out into the house. Winky was out and about, dusting things mostly. The house had been abandoned for quite a long time since Severus hadn’t had time to go there after the school years and he was busy selling one of his other relestates due to bad memories, his childhood home for example, as well as preparing for the next school year and attending meetings with the Order. Mortimer chased after Draco and followed him up the stairs.  

    Draco was pushed into Snape’s potions lab as he was being very stubborn, he wanted to go back to sleep, he wanted to eat and relax and bathe. Those things were luxurious and he wasn’t used to luxury, so now he wanted to live only in luxury to make up for lost time. Severus watched as Mortimer pulled Draco to the floor and held him down, his knees on Draco’s upper arms and Draco didn’t flinch this time, he just shut his eyes. He had known it was too good to be true, to have someone give him what he wanted, to hold him and keep him warm instead of locking him away. This was just going to be another abusive assault and then he would be ripped back from this life and be stored away. When he realized that none of that was happening he opened an eye as Severus held a wand to the crook of his elbow and pulled blood from it and it began to trickle into a vial. He took three vials and Draco was then released and helped up.

   “So, what was that for?” Draco asked and Mortimer looked at him a little surprised, he hadn’t said anything besides that he was hungry and that was something young children learn, so it wouldn’t have surprised him if he couldn’t speak very well since he had likely never been taught.

   “It’s for a potion, to allow you into the sunlight. You will need to be outside in the upcoming days as Mortimer is taking you for clothes and I will be getting you a wand. We will of course, also be stopping by Mr. Potter’s home and assuring him I’m alive and that we will be helping reconstruct society, and by we I mean Mortimer and I.”

   “Why can’t I help _reconstruct_ anything?”

  “I don’t want you anywhere near Potter nor any of those idiots and the know-it-all. They may spoil your attitude and outlook on what life you will be given here and I don’t want any of that.” Severus’s voice was calm when he added the drop of blood and then he quickly stirred once counter clockwise and then twice clockwise before waiting for the brew to clear up. Once it did he drained the potion into vials and then hung them outside his window on a wire rack that was connected to the ledge and then let them sit in the sunset.

  “I found the basement.” Severus looked up at Draco who was speaking, “Would you like me to stay there. The offer for any room was a little to grandiose, I didn’t believe you. But the basement is warm, there are many furs and blankets.”

  “You don’t sleep in the basement, that is where I store the things I don’t need. You can sleep downstairs though and I will give you a room with a fireplace, I know vampires like to stay warm.” Winky walked in behind them and bowed to Severus. Severus told her which room Draco could inhabit and then she lead him to the room. It was the right room as it was large and it had a fireplace.

    “Can...can you draw me a bath?” Draco asked nervously, he didn’t have access to a bath back at the Manor.

   “Yes, sir.” Winky said before running off to the bathroom and starting to run the water. She ran it until it was warm and then put the stopper in the tub and let it fill up. She looked around for some shampoo and she couldn’t reach it so she apparated to the ledge and grabbed the shampoo and then apparated back down to the ground and set the soaps on the wire bath rack. Draco was leaning against the door. He got down and kissed the top of Winky’s head.

   “Thank you.” He stood up and rid of the sheer clothes he wore. (Although they were  more draped around him.) He sat down in the bath and closed his eyes just relaxing. The room was quiet and the electricity hummed softly, the mortal electricity that he was seen when he had awakened in Mortimer’s small place. He ears rang with the silence that freed him and announce a clear view on everything that was happening and all that had happened.

  “I just want to be warm. You know that you have a high body temperature.” During the past twenty years Mortimer had been a lone vampire, who got into so grave trouble that he had to join the Dark Lord for protection and was now back with a former flame and he wanted him. The comfort and peace that Severus had brought, more like a grounding factor to his wildness. Severus however, dropped him as soon as he was needed by Lily and when she died a part of him died.  
    They had spent a good year together before he went back to her. The woman who left him and had him go to Mortimer, out of sadness and really because he was just lonely and wanted someone to comfort him. Mortimer, of course, feeling a deep attachment and woven whispers between them, decided that he needed to keep his beautiful Severus. It all ended when Mortimer tried to kill him, or turn him, whatever word that would be prefered to describe his obsession. Mortimer had the obsession, Severus just indulged him and led him on, just like the woman he known had. The way he did it however, left the vampire with a slight hatred but an even stronger desire to keep him. Which led them to this predicament where Severus was hexing the items around his room as Mortimer moved around, disappearing from the human eye, and then tackling Severus down.

    “Get off of me. Go somewhere else. I have to say this but I am getting too old for you to tackle me like a child. Leave me alone. The only reason I’ve allowed you here is because I don’t know how to handle a vampire alone.”

   “You handled me quite well.” Mortimer said with a laugh and Severus kicked him back and pushed him out of his room. Mortimer let him, just because he did realize that Severus was getting old. He sat by the door and rested his head and then he was asleep, in a death sleep, his surroundings on his mind but only with a disturbance  disturbance would he move. He could tell between hostile and benign threats, but it was never a wrong thing to stay on the safe side and wake up at any movement. He could hear Severus writing a letter, he heard the owl on his window as he sent the letter and he could hear the shuffle of feet and rustle of clothing falling off of fair skin from behind the door. Severus locked his door, casting all the charms he could to keep everyone out, except Draco in case he was needed.

    Draco had willed for the fire to turn on and it did with a roar and a plume of flames, licking the walls of the fireplace. Draco sat on the floor, a towel wrapped around his body and his fingers so close to the fire. The warmth could burn something if he wasn’t careful and most humans would have been sweating but the water on his skin was just drying, since a vampire’s skin didn’t absorb water or anything besides blood, and he pulled his knees up. It was so warm, it felt safe. When he was warm it was only when he was safe, except the one time when he had been cruciatus-ed and forced to walk into the fire by Bellatrix Lestrange. He left his room hours after being dried and heated by the bright fire. He walked around the house and looked through stuff and then he saw Mortimer asleep by what he assumed to be Severus’ door as there was the sound of breathing behind it. Draco went to Mortimer and the vampire grabbed him and pulled him down to him.

   “You should start to wear clothes. You will need to grow accustomed to them. Especially now that you are a vampire you will be extra sensitive to the feeling of clothes rubbing against your diamond skin, but in time you will be fine.” Mortimer wrapped his arms around Draco, “You’re so warm. You have been by your fire.”

   “Yes. Are you protecting him...from me?”

   “No, I’m settling my nervousness by being hyperaware of his actions. He is your father, you should understand that I want to keep him safe. From what I’ve seen he is determined to teach you and to keep you as a child. I’ve never seen anything like it before, but I wasn’t exactly a loved one either.”

    “You move your mouth too much.” Draco sighed and Mortimer just groaned and petted his head.

   “I do everything too much. I’m simply overbearing as a person.”

 

   Severus woke up, bathed, got dressed and opened his door only for two sleeping vampires to fall inside the room. Mortimer woke up quickly, he would rant about being aware of his surroundings as any ‘good vampire would  be’ and complain about Severus who would ignore him and even glare at him everytime he said something about a ‘good vampire’ as he felt it would demean and hurt Draco who was just a new vampire and didn’t have any sense of what to be or how to act yet.

   Draco sat up and stood up. Severus crossed his arms and Severus summoned more clothes for the boy who scratched his arms immediately as the soft cotton rubbed against him in ways he didn’t like. Mortimer took Draco into the potions lab and brought in the potions and gave one to Draco who drank it and then choked it down as it tasted horrible. Severus made them tea but remembered that he would be the only one drinking it so he offered some to Winky who refused to take it on principal and due to the proper etiquette of a house elf. Severus was just a little sad that he had brewed so much and hour old tea was cold, gross and it had a bitter aftertaste that just wasn’t pleasant enough to stand to drink. Winky handed Severus a parchment with the measurements of Draco on them. When Severus returned to the potions lab to see what was holding the two up he saw Draco on the floor, his legs around Mortimer and his mouth on his wrist while Mortimer was resting on his back, mouth open as rather lewd noises came from him. Severus cleared his throat and Mortimer blinked a couple of times before he let Draco off of him. He pushed the boy away gingerly and Draco stood up, letting the blood staining his lips and smeared across the side of his mouth soak into his silky, stone like skin.

   “Sorry to interrupt your feeding, but I think we should get going. I have appointments later in the day that I cannot miss, and I would really like being present for Draco’s first time out in public.” There was also the fear that Draco would attack someone, and Severus was sure he knew that the fear was similar and from Mortimer who had his hand tightly wrapped around Draco’s waist. Severus smiled, forcing his lips to curve upwards, perhaps it was crude because Draco flinched away. Severus sighed and started walking out of the room, “Follow me, we will be using my floo system. I just paid the bill and I don’t want it to go to waste.”

    It took ten minutes to explain how the floo system worked to Draco who just nodded when they asked if he was still with them on their long and much too long explanation. Mortimer went to floo first.  
“Where should we take him. We’ve been saying Diagon Alley, but perhaps we could find things we need in Knockturn Alley. It is a better place for people like _us_.”

   “We’re going to Diagon Alley. Draco is not to be bothered with the people in Knockturn Alley.” Severus and Mortimer argued for a while before finally Severus groaned took a handful of powder and tossed it at the feet of Mortimer and Mortimer shouted as Severus said _Diagon Alley_ and then he was gone. “Come Draco, it’s simple, watch as I do it.”  Severus grabbed a handful of green powder and stood in the tall firepit before saying, enunciating every syllable carefully, _Diagon Alley_ . Then in a flash of green fire he was gone. Draco stood in the fireplace and grabbed the powder in his hand and threw it down, green flames surrounding him, all painless and cool, not painful burning from the flames, no warmth either.  
   “Diagon Alley.” Draco was gone. He was glad that Severus had told him to keep his arms by his sides and his elbows tucked in as he could see colour rush past him as he travelled. He lost balance and stumbled out of the firepit at the Leaky Cauldron. Severus and Mortimer were arguing, although it was more like Mortimer was trying to argue and Severus stood beside him, waiting for Draco with a patient face and a bored look on his face, which was just upsetting Mortimer even more because the vampire wanted to see a reaction. Severus helped Draco to his feet as he fell over, losing his balance.  
   “You did well for your first time. Let’s go to Madam Malkin’s.” Severus said without interest and what could be slight annoyance as Mortimer continued to bitch and complain about Severus’ previous actions. Draco stood close to Severus, but he was rivalling Severus with his height and looked anything but a childlike frame, although his face was bright and clever as he took in his surroundings. When they entered the long way of Diagon Alley Draco turned to look at the stores and stopped to point to ‘Secondhand Robes’ a second hand robe shop.

   “There’s a robe shop.”

   “Don’t be silly, you are not a Weasley, you will get new fitted robes.” Severus scoffed before he realized what he was saying.

  “What’s a Weasley?” Draco asked as Severus lead Draco towards the bank which was near Madam Malkin’s. Mortimer was quiet behind them and then he laughed.

   “You still dislike those red heads? What did they do to you?” Mortimer started and Draco followed Severus, trailing him and holding onto his side as he wanted to jumped on the few people that occupied the streets. Vendors or flowers and roasted chestnuts or the beggars who occupied the vacancies around windows, obstructing the views of herbs and potion ingredients or quidditch padding and supplies.

   “They sent all of their children to Hogwarts and I had to teach every single one of them. All seven of them.” Severus wasn’t going to say anything else about them, they were in public and Draco didn’t need to know of his slight prejudices against certain people or peoples (more like a copper headed clan). Severus went into Gringotts while Mortimer took Draco in with the measurements. Mortimer is welcomed by Madam Malkin who is bubbly as ever. Her short grey bob and pudgy cheeks coloured bright with rogue so much so it seemed like too much but nobody could blame her as she was so old and possibly losing her eyesight. She looked at Draco and Mortimer before adjusting her glasses.

    “How are you, I haven’t seen you around my shop before.” She admitted, as Mortimer handed her the measurements, she looked at them and wiggled her finger at them for them to follow her. She stopped in front of some robes, passing all of the school robes as they went. Draco looked at them with a fondness, he ran his hand over some of the cloth as he passed by and she made a little noise to keep him from touching things that he wasn’t going to buy. Which was ridiculous to Mortimer since they were just clothes and if Draco wanted to feel some fabric against his fingers then damn it he was allowed to, they’re just robes, most of them end up in the secondhand robe store anyway. She pulled out some nicer robes, ones of dark emerald green and some deep red and other darker colours. She was beginning to pull out the lighter robes some like Kingsley wore, but Mortimer shook his head and Draco just wanted to look at everything. Madam pulled the rack out of the wall and Draco was sifting through the colours. Mortimer was paying attention, noticing that the boy would look good in green, black, maybe blue or red. Draco picked out a long silver robe with green sticking and accents around the collar and climbing and swirling around the bottom like a tangle of vines. Severus would not be happy if they were walking with his vampire dressed like some Dumbledore fanatic. This was much too light. Eventually the sun would reflect and hurt his eyes. Mortimer put his hands on Draco’s and hung the garment back up.

    “Choose something a little darker, less reflective of the sunlight, Draco.”

   Draco picked out a long black robe and then a emerald green robe. He pulled out a purple one and then Mortimer took them to Madam who was busy trying not to stare at the two men pulling off her stock, what were they? There was something off about them, about the boy mostly, and what kind of name was Draco, it sounded like something that would be named, as well as he was looked, like a Malfoy. Madam walked to the robes and charmed their sizes to fit the measurements.

   They paid for the robes and met Severus who dropped the price of the robes in Mortimer’s hands.  
   “I didn’t expect you to have an sort of wealth.” Mortimer groaned as the coins tumbled into his hands.

  “I have more than you do, that’s all that you need to know.” Severus looked at the bags in which the robes were folded into and then put his hand on Draco’s shoulder, walking towards Ollivander's wand shop. In short, Draco left with a ten inch Hawthorn wand with a unicorn hair core. Then noon was approaching and Severus checked the time with a _tempus_ charm. They walked  back to the Leaky Cauldron and Severus ordered tea while Draco was sitting patiently, his hands between his legs, his thighs pressed together tightly, squeezing his hands as he kept his head down. He could hear the blood pounding in his ears, it hadn’t stopped since he had arrived to this new place and it was driving him crazy. He hadn’t said anything unsure if he was allowed to, or what would happen if he wasn’t permitted to speak. However, as Severus turned his head and scoffed, his cheeks flooding with colour at something Mortimer said, and as he tried to hide his face, his hair just brushed away from his neck just so and the slowly rising heart rate pumped more blood into his new caretaker the more he wanted to jump forwards and tackle him so he could finally taste what had been tempting him for so long. Mortimer turned his head to look at Draco who was fixated on Severus. Mortimer cleared his throat and Severus turned to look at him, composing himself and shoving aside his stupid and foolish, childlike embarrassment. How unbecoming of a man at my age, Severus thought. Mortimer stood up and Severus left his tea and galleons before apparating home, Mortimer held onto Draco and apparated to Severus’ home.


	2. Chapter 2

    “Yes, Mr. Potter is going to come over tonight.” Severus was telling Mortimer as the vampire sprawled out on the longue chair of emerald green with ebony stained wood. Mortimer held a lush velvet, green, throw pillow to his chest while Severus helped Winky straighten up, throwing pillows back onto the couches and chairs as Mortimer was prone to making messes for no reason other to watch Severus bend over to pick up pillows and to clean up. It had been a week since they had gone shopping. After they dropped Draco off at the manor, Mortimer and Severus had to stop by Grimmauld Place, where all of the Weasley’s had become residents along with several other wizards that were known and close to the Potter family. That day was no different from the one they were having soon, except it would be only Harry and it was at their abode rather than his. 

    Severus had Draco occupied upstairs with trying to create a potion to cure burns and another which would allow him into the sunlight. He wasn’t to come down until he finished those potions or he was allowed out of the potions lab with explicit instructions to do so. They hadn’t told him of anything that was happening and that was the way they, Severus and Mortimer, deemed it necessary for it to stay until Draco was more aware of his powers and didn’t want to eat everything he could see or smell. Severus was waiting outside the home, his wand drawn as he was relearning old spells that he hadn’t any use for a long while. Spells that maybe Draco would need when Harry arrived. He came by broom and he landed before running up, catching himself on ground and slowing himself down after such a quick and long ride through the sky. Severus looked up and pinched the book shut with a loud thump of the pages hitting each other before setting the leather bound book on the ground and tucking his wand away. 

   “Mr. Potter.” he started, “Thank you for coming out today. Let me show you inside.” Severus opened the door and Mortimer was already seated and drinking tea since he didn’t mind the licorice flavour all that much. Severus glared at him until he stood up and smiled. 

  “I’m Mortimer, I didn’t get to introduce myself properly the last time I saw you.” 

  “Hello, I’m Harry Potter, please just call me Harry.” Green eyes looked up at the taller man and they all took their seats. Severus asking how Harry took tea and handing him his cup. His set was fancier and rarely used much like this home had been for such a long time. Winky brought in a plate of pastries before walking off to ‘check on the young master’ as she called it. She bounded up the stairs. 

    “ _ Young Master _ ?” Harry questioned and before Mortimer could speak Severus had leaned forward. 

   “Yes, he is a new wizard who I have accommodated due to his loss of home and family during the war. He knows little about the wizarding world so he is upstairs practicing for a potions exam.” Harry laughed and took a drink of his tea before hesitantly taking a pastry and taking a bite. 

    “Even out of school you are teaching.” Severus just nodded and looked to Mortimer who looked like he had to pee, even though he didn’t have bodily functions such as that. He took a long and unnecessary breath, trying to keep up appearances for the humans around him. “So, is there no way for me to meet him? For you to house someone,  they must be quite talented and compatible with such...with the standards you would seem to maintain in your home.” 

   “No!” Mortimer coughed out before looking down, he smiled and excused himself, running upstairs. Mortimer went into Severus’ bedroom and sat on the worn, dark leather ottoman at the foot of the bed. Besides not wanting Harry to see Draco, he didn’t want him to know about him. He knew how little wizards were, they were nosy and now he would likely find his child. Not only that but there was such power in that mortal, it was extremely overwhelming even for such a flamboyant and powerful vampire such as Mortimer. Mr. Potter would definitely need to refrain from going near Draco for some time as Mortimer knew that the draw towards him would be nearly irresistible, as it was hard for him to back away. 

    Harry chuckled nervously, he didn’t know what just happened, he knew that there was something going on that he didn’t quite understand which put him on edge but then when Severus spoke again, calm as always as if nothing curious was going on, it made him even more suspicious. 

    “I work with a teacher’s salary, but I do have many transactions from the Malfoy family in which I wouldn’t mind donating to help rebuild the school. I assume that it will be used to house people temporarily or until the school year is to start again.” 

    “Err, yes, I think that is what we have decided to do.” 

    “We? Another Order is behind you?” 

   “Yes, the Weasleys as well as the remaining officials of the Ministry are willing to help as well as Hermione and a few other survivors like Neville have come by and joined together for our cause.” He smiles, “It means a lot.” There’s a crack as a door opens and bounding down the stairs Draco runs with two vials in his hands, his tattered but new robe dangling off his skinny body as he runs. He stops halfway down the stairs and looks at Harry who smiles at him warmly. Draco turns on his heel and runs back into the potions lab. It reminded Harry of the first time he saw Ginny. How she ran down the stairs and froze when she saw him. However, instead of running back downstairs and meeting with them, this new person ran back upstairs. 

    “Was that him?” 

   “Yes, that was the boy I am teaching.” Severus said, he was processing all the people that Harry must have been living with. As he saw Harry grow soft, he looked back at the stairs. “How are you doing? Adjusting after the chaos? It must be hard to finally have a peaceful life, even if there are efforts to rebuild, now that everything is over.” Severus took a long deep breath and adjusted the sleeves of his robe, “Now that you can build a life for yourself, away from the pressure of destiny and prophecy...Will you be attending your final year at Hogwarts?” 

    “I was offered a job as an Auror, as was Ron. Hermione will be back however and so will Ginny, although she is still grieving over the losses we faced, she wants to complete her N.E.W.T.s and get her education.” Harry set his empty tea cup down and crossed his hands, discreetly dusting off the crumbs from his muggle jeans. 

   “I see.” Severus drew out his words, punctuating the sentence with a sigh. 

   “Yes, so, about the donations…” 

    They continued to talk for a long while, perhaps an hour or an hour and a half more before Harry had to leave, saying something about helping everyone do laundry and taking the group out to buy clothes since they lost most of their items, especially the Weasleys, after the burning of the Burrow and the war. Severus said his goodbyes and then walked up the stairs. Winky was running around the house, however her feet padded against the floor quietly and she never made much noise, it didn’t stop Severus from noticing the few little drips of water coming from a room and he assumed she was cleaning that room and then he  knocked on the potions lab door. When he opened the door Draco flew across the room and wrapped his arms around him. 

  “What should I call you? Is Severus an appropriate name to call my father?” Draco didn’t feel the need to bite Severus, in fact the scent that Severus gave off reeked of already being marked by another vampire which respectfully told other vampires to leave the marked one alone. Severus carried Draco to the potions table and set him down in the chair. 

   “You may call me whatever you wish as long as it is respectful, although I would prefer to be called by my name, just as I call you Draco, I do not refer to you as my son, because as Draco you should already know who your guardian is.” 

   “I understand.” Draco picked up the vials he created. Snape picked them up to examine the substances. They were the right colour and the burn relief elixir was the right temperature. The potions that were to keep Draco safe in the sun were also the right colour and they had the same qualities as the potions that Severus had created but he took his wand out and double checked the mixtures and sure enough, Draco had done well. 

  “You are quite good at potions, perhaps you will be a success with the art.” 

  “I just follow the directions, it’s really not that hard.” Draco whispered and Severus just raised an eyebrow. He set the vials down. 

   “Clean up this station and you may leave the room. I would like to have a word with--” 

   “I’m here.” Mortimer chimed, singing happily now that the powerful tempter was gone. He smiled at Draco, he would have to praise him and show him actual affection since Severus didn’t know how to do such things. How could one raise something without praise and affection, Severus hadn’t said that Draco was good at potions he just said average or not a disappointment. What would that send to Draco. Of course, Mortimer had been raised in an affectionate family of wizards who tried their best to keep Mortimer on the straight and narrow but failed. Mortimer didn’t want to force Draco into a mold, he just needed to keep him and train him to control himself, that was all and then he would be gone, or he would be with Severus, either way, he wouldn’t be responsible for his child any longer. Severus on the other hand, thought that praising a child would not help them, to make them seem brilliant at the easy things, when they accomplish major goals and power through testy obstacles then it would be awkward to just give the same praise for a job done extra well and to do something well even though it was more challenging that most were used to. Draco was busy cleaning the station and pulling down the ladder to put unused ingredients away. 

   “Draco cannot be around him, no matter what. That boy of yours has too tempting of nutrition and power for such a youngling to ignore.” Mortimer complained while Severus rested in the hallway, his back against a wall as Mortimer dangled from the wooden stair rail as he moved like a snake. 

   “Draco, would you check the attic for these ingredients…” he listed the ingredients needed to make nutritional potions as well as lots of potions to heal bones and to provide substanance without having to actually eat food or drink water. Many people after the war would have destroyed homes and not all people were as fortunate to be involved with Potter to live off of his wealth like the leech-like Weasleys, Severus thought before Draco came out of the room and gave him a list of what they had, how much and what they needed. Severus sent Mortimer out with a list since Mortimer was annoying him by artistically and with so many different forms of dance, hanging onto the rails and frolicking up and down the stairs. He simply wasn’t in the mood to continue to deal with the vampire who abandoned him after interjecting rudely during his meeting with Potter. 

    Draco went downstairs to get cleaned up and changed before fixing his bed, which Winky was not permitted to clean as Severus knew that routine and stability were key in shaping any young man’s life and chores were part of that routine. At nightfall, approximately four hours after Harry’s departure and three hours since Mortimer was sent to go purchase, and not come back without  _ all _ of the ingredients, when Draco came out of his room to read on one of the plush and feather filled love seats also a matching shade of green as the rest of the house is decorated in. Green, deep red woods and black covered the house. There was a splash of navy or crimson and there was a little plum or violet here and there, but the main colours stayed the same, all very cool but ominous as the place loomed over one as it wrapped it’s extravagant arms around a person and squeeze them to death. 

   “I’m hungry,” Draco flipped the page, “When will Mortimer return, Severus?” 

    Severus looked up from his own book as he was practicing transfiguration on a silver goblet. Severus let out a long and annoyed noise, he didn’t want the other vampire to come back, but it was needed. Also, he knew he was useful because he did everything that Severus asked. Well, except leaving him alone or giving him space. Two nights previous, Mortimer had sat in the bathroom while Severus showered, leaving Severus feeling very invaded once he stepped out, nude and being stared at by dead eyes. It reminded him of looking in a mirror which was uncomfortable in itself. 

   “He will be here once he’s completed his task. I don’t know what is taking him so long.” Severus said and he turned the goblet into a rat and quickly turned it back into a goblet. He poured his tea into the goblet and pushed it to Draco. 

   “What are you reading?”    
   “ _ Voyages with Vampires _ by Gilderoy Lockhart, I found it in the basement. I found a whole lot of these books in the basement, all by Mr. Lockhart.” 

  “Yes, there are many of those copies along with his other trash in the basement.” Severus put the book on the table between them and slid the book he was reading to Draco. “I would prefer you read something with actual facts, by the wizards who learned them, not a fool’s book of false heroism and half truths.” 

  Draco exchanged books and Severus took Lockhart’s book and opened it to begin re-reading it. Draco tapped his fingers against his knee as he read the book. He flipped a page and then soon enough Mortimer opened the door and started to cart things inside. 

   “I’m so glad that you made me pay with my own money for  _ your  _ ingredients.”    
   “Yes, but you insisted that you help with the reconstruction after the war and therefore you are aiding me in helping the people who were affected. They are mine but you are helping me help Potter.” 

  “That’s his name?” Draco muttered before setting the book down, spreading it out so the book would lay flat, bending at the spine to keep his place. He grabbed the ingredients and helped cart them to the potions lab and store them away before grabbing Mortimer and complaining about how hungry he was. Severus went to make himself something to eat while Mortimer fed Draco. 

    Draco was being forced to sleep at night, when all he wanted to do was explore the rest of the house some more, or build tunnels, or do something besides sleep, but Mortimer had insisted and Severus had been clear on what he expected and Draco couldn’t fail him, he could really care less about Mortimer, he was just someone he could use to eat, a man to keep him alive and to teach him because he was sure that Severus would get rid of him. The insistent whiner that he was had been irking both Severus and Draco. Must be because he wants to eat Severus or something like that, Draco thought as he pulled his bed closer to the fire. A beautiful four poster bed with luxurious and soft cotton sheets that kept cold but then warmed up around you as they absorbed the heat from around the room, plus they were the softest and felt the best against his sensitive skin, far more than any silk and especially more than muggle polyester (the Devil’s fabric obviously). 

   After a month of practicing magic and learning offensive and a few defensive spells, the day came when Mortimer started work at the school and Severus’ was off to start making mass amounts of potions. Something that only his potions lab at the famous school that they two always seemed to chat about could be accomplished in. They were to be gone for a week. Since they were to be gone for quite a while, Mortimer had let the boy drain quite a bit of blood, and by a bit, that meant way too much, before leaving. Severus had told him to stay put inside the house and make sure Winky didn’t accidentally destroy anything, and to brush up and continue to practice making his potions as well as reading the books on the shelves in the sitting room. 

    That night, when Draco was not going to sleep, Draco had a book in one hand, his body was naked and he was sleeping on the floor, thick blankets wrapped around his body as he lay by the fire, on his stomach as he read. It was quite cute and he was happy and comfortable. There wasn’t a sound in the house as Winky was sent to bed for the night, to leave Draco alone so he could be at peace in his room. He doubted she had listened and she was likely working still because she felt her duties weren’t complete, but his exact orders were to be quiet and not disturb him, although he did try to get her to take the night off and sleep. Winky was a traditional house elf who didn’t like being free and didn’t want to be, so she liked being around to help clean after Mortimer who made messes and Draco who forgot to put his books away, even after Severus’ lectures about being meticulous in everything he did as to make little to no mistakes. He spoke of vampires weren’t allowed to make mistakes, about how they were akin to ethereal beings with beauty and power, a graceful killer who needed to be an angel at all times except when they were feeding. He also told Draco of how hard the world could be for a magical creature, even though paragraph 12 of the  _ Guidelines for the Treatment of Non-Wizards Part-Humans _ states that killing vampire arbitrarily is illegal and it attempts to stop the prejudice against magical beings, nothing was highly enforced or frowned upon. He also stated that he would try to get the boy named ‘Potter’ to end the prejudice against non wizard part humans. 

    It was around midnight when there was a knock on the door. Draco couldn’t think of anyone just showing up at such a late hour. Usually, Severus wouldn’t let Mortimer out this late because it was rude to be out and around to make noise and annoy people at this hour. Draco pulled a bathrobe on and tightened it, covering his nakedness. He walked into the living room and was assaulted by slightly colder air than what he was getting in his room, and then he was opening the front door, his wand drawn. When he opened it, there was Potter, looking at him with a bundle of letters under his arm. 

   “Er, hi, I’m Harry. Is Severus home, this is important.” 

  “No, he is not home. He has gone somewhere to fix something and has left me, like always.” Draco eyes the bundle in his arms and stood back from the door, “Would you like to come in?” 

    “Ya know, why not?” Harry walked inside the home and Draco didn’t offer tea or anything, he went over to the chair he had claimed and picked all of the books up off the table and set them down on the ground before Winky ran and started to put them away. 

  “No, no, Winky, I’m still reading these ones.” He said and the house elf scurried away to start the cleaning and sorting of the basement, which Mortimer had asked of her since he was getting nowhere near to Severus’ bed yet. Harry looked around, slightly uncomfortable as Draco stared into him, through him. Harry set the letters on the coffee table. 

    “You look like someone I know, have we met before?” 

   “I think I had a younger brother by a couple of months. I’m not sure. I don’t think we’ve ever met.” Draco sounded uncertain which was puzzling to Harry, how did one not know if they ever met someone, or if they didn’t have the chance or possibility to see someone in passing or your familial status...well, Harry actually understood the last reason. 

  “Oh, are you related to Severus? Or is the other man, sorry I forgot his name, your father?”   

   “Er, I’m not supposed to talk about it actually.”  Draco crossed his legs and pulled the robe down a little move to come down to his knees. He was starting to panic, the man before him was so sweet, literally, he could taste it. 

   “Well, about the letters. I need potions for each one of these people, they are all families and students who need help after the war, there’s also some funerals he was invited to attend, although I understand if he doesn’t feel comfortable to attend them.” 

   “What’s a funeral? I have heard the term in passing, but I don’t know what it actually is.” Draco started and Harry shifted nervously. 

   “It’s like a little party-thing? People talk about a deceased person and eat food and cry and give flowers and say their last words to the...er, corpse. I guess it sounds silly if it’s put like that, but it’s important for people to help their grieve and mourn and start to accept the reality that their loved one or friend has passed.” Harry didn’t know why this person had never heard of a funeral, or ‘heard it in passing’? What was that supposed to mean? Did he grow up under a rock, also, another thing he could understand slightly.

  “I think you should go.” Draco said quickly, standing up and briskly walking to the door. He opened up the door and the fresh air came inside and he turned to see Harry on the chair usually occupied by Severus when they read. Harry stood and walked to the door, brushing out the wrinkles in his shirt and jeans. Now that Draco had him up close, he was actually nice to look at. Better than Severus but not as pretty as Mortimer, but there was just something that seemed nice, warm, something that reminded Draco of being safe about Harry. 

  “What’s your name?” Harry asked as he put his hand against the door, pulling it wider so he could just side step around Draco. 

  “I’m Draco...Malfoy, I think. I only heard it being called a few times.” Draco started to say quickly.    
  “Oh. That’s why you look familiar. I’m sorry for coming by at such a late hour. It was rude of me, but it was nice to meet you, the child that Severus actually likes, that’s surprising. If you need anything, I’m always here to help anyone.” Harry couldn’t get over how pale and sick Draco looked. He reached out to touch Draco’s skin and when he made contact the other was cold and his skin was stone-like as it was soft but firm. He pulled his hand back and laughed, he grabbed the broom from it’s position resting against the wall to the right of the door. Draco grabbed Harry’s wrist. 

   “I need something, if I ask, will you give it to me?” 

    “Depends on what it is, really. I will try.” 

  “Come with me to the lake, it’s not too far from here. It’s frown upon by Severus when I want to leave, I don’t want to go alone.” Draco pulled Harry back inside the house and Harry ignored how strong the other was and put his hands in his pockets as he didn’t know what to do with his appendages. Draco told him to wait a moment and he scurried off to his room. He came back in a long black coat with large leather clasps keeping the front together and black pants. He had his hair pulled up into a bun on the top of his head as it was long and nobody had bothered to cut it yet as Draco never paid it much mind. Draco carried his wand in his sleeve and smiled as he inhaled, not only would it seem human, but there was something about the other boy that was alluring, painfully irresistible. Draco went against his better judgment, because he no longer needed things such as judgement, not as a powerful being. A powerful being that was muzzled and being locked up in a dingy cage, no matter how comfortable he did get. 

    Draco used magic to get his shoes onto his feet as they were slightly tight and tall which did require some time to put on manually. He pulled a cloak over his body and gestured for Harry to follow him. The door was left slightly ajar and Winky was busy so she didn’t notice. The wind blew the door open as Harry and Draco made their way down to the lake not too far into the thick trees that surrounded the back of Severus’ home, compared to the front which was an open field and the designated home between trees that was a magical greenhouse to all of his plants.    
    As they approached the lake, Draco started to walk faster until he sat down on the ground that was being lapped at by the edges of the pond as the slight breeze dragged the water to and fro. Harry stood beside him and Draco took off his cloak and rested it on the ground. Harry didn’t want to sit on the cloak but Draco rubbed his hand against the cloak against the dirt. Harry sat down. 

  “How old are you?” Draco asked, staring off past the water as he could see and hear creatures moving within the forest around them. 

   “I’ll be nineteen soon.”    
   “I don’t know how old I am. My brother is eighteen but I’m not sure exactly how old we are, I must be at least eighteen as he is younger than me. I do know that I was the firstborn child. I was promised away before I could speak or even crawl.” 

   “Promised to who?” Harry looked at Draco and Draco’s head snapped to look at him and Draco slowly turned his head away again. 

   “I was told to call him  _ My Lord _ , but others talked about him, they called him a Dark Lord. Mortimer saved me from the basement I was kept in. The rest is just a distant memory, one I don’t think about much. That night, when I was away from everything, I felt the safest I had ever felt in my entire life.” 

  Harry was confused. He knew people talked to him, he was a sociable person, but this boy was revealing his life to him, and it was sad how much he felt that he could relate. He wondered if the boy new about him and was trying to use his sympathies to do something cruel in return. He was living with Severus after all. Draco turned and looked at Harry, his eyes drifting from the other’s gaze and falling to all of the points of his body where he could hear and  _ feel  _  the pulsing of his blood that ran through him, the pumping of his heart, not only did he feel the blood, he could see the gold and red power emanating from his body and twirling in his heart like vines grasping and clinging to his organ and more like entangling around it like prison bars to protect its contents.    
   “Oh,” Harry started, “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what to say.  _ Hey, I’m sorry that your parents made you serve someone who I killed because he was an evil bastard _ didn’t sound like something appropriate for the moment. Draco nodded and put his head down, his shoulders moved as Draco seemed to cry. Harry opened his arms and pulled Draco to him, the other just needed comfort. “Why don’t we go back to your house, let’s not talk about these things anymore. I’ll make you tea or something.” 

  “I don’t want tea.” Draco was breathing against Harry’s throat and he lifted a hand up to run it down the opposite expanse of skin. Harry froze and Draco pressed a kiss to the skin, much like Mortimer had done to him. He lapped the spot with his tongue and at the same moment as Harry started to struggle, his face red and his body reacting in a reverse response to what he wished, there was someone shouting Draco’s name. It was calm though and Harry turned as Draco looked up at Severus who stood with his arms crossed. Winky stood, hiding behind Severus’ robes and legs, beside the man and fumbled with her hands nervously. Draco stood up and pulled Harry to his feet before pulling his cloak from the ground. 

  “I thought I gave you unequivocal instructions to stay inside the house until further notice. Perhaps your skull is thicker than I presumed.” Draco walked to Severus and tried to hide his body behind the man he thought of as the closest things to what he had as a father. Harry rubbed his neck, partly because there was still tacky saliva of Draco’s against it and because he had a nervous itch at his hairline. “Did you need something,  _ Potter _ ?” 

   “I just came to drop off some letters from families who need your help the most. I was, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get Draco in trouble.” 

   “You didn’t do anything. Draco, go home and take Winky with you...and don’t hurt her. Draco picked up Winky, angrily and started to walk back to the house. Severus looked down on Harry and Harry stood his ground, adjusting his glasses. “Please, contact me before showing up to my domicile.” Harry nodded, he summoned his broom and started to walk away from the lake, Severus turned to watch him leave and then Severus disapparated back to his home. 

    “Draco, please meet me in the sitting room.” He said loud enough for a human to hear and more than loud enough for a vampire to hear. He sat down and picked up the bundle of letters before lackadaisically opening the first few letters. Draco came out of his room and went to sit in his usual spot. Severus let there be a silence for a few more minutes. Draco sat stiffly and with great posture, something he had been working on since Severus had brought it up. 

    “What were you doing with Potter tonight?” Severus opened another letter and started to scan it. He would have to write quite a few letters and send the potions by some means, or perhaps he would have the families meet at Hogwarts to pick up their potions. Most wizarding families had access to the simplest of methods of travel like the floo network in which Severus had an open line in his office at Hogwarts. 

    “I was just talking with him. He came over, we started to talk, and  _ he _ said that we should talk somewhere more comfortable because of the subject matter and I suggested that we should go to the pond because it’s beautiful and I can smell it from here, but I’ve never been to it. It really isn’t as impressive as I thought it would be.” 

    “Let me be more specific, were you trying to bite him when I arrived?” Severus already knew the answer, but Draco needed to learn that honesty was taken very seriously in this home. 

    “No.” Draco lied and Severus stood up and put down the letters.    
    “I have a special quill I would like you to use, don’t worry, it only scars human skin, as you are a vampire it will only be painful. I will get that and have you write how you will not lie to me, boy. False truths are not tolerated in this home, as I expect you to tell me the truth...you don’t have to tell Mortimer anything, but I will never accept a lie from you as you are my son as good as any other.” Severus tried to stay calm, “Why did you think it was okay to lie to me? Have I ever lied to you?...Don’t answer that, but know that I haven’t. You will also write replies, I will make a copy and you are to practice your handwriting as your current writing looks atrocious. Follow me upstairs, to my actual study.” 

    Draco followed Severus into his ‘actual study,’ although to Draco it seemed more like a library with a desk piled high with papers. Severus used his wand to set up the slightly broken desk up next to his.    
    “Pull up a chair while I get you supplies to write.” Draco picked up a usually rather heavy chair but lifted it and placed it down without any real effort as his new powers started to grow and shape into what they should be, although, especially to Mortimer, Draco was still a baby. Severus pulled out the Black Quill that he had gotten as a gift from Lucius so many years ago. He handed it to Draco and the boy looked for ink and Severus just shook his head. Draco started to write out the sentence, ‘I will not lie under the watch of Severus.’ Draco only wrote it a few times before Severus felt too bad, although he would never admit it, for hurting him. He plucked the quill from his hands. 

    “That was dark magic.” Draco said, “Do you still use dark magic frequently, Severus?” 

    “No, I do not. However, since I knew it wouldn’t hurt you or disfigure you any, I found it to be a good way to teach you that I am serious when I say that lying is unacceptable.” Draco flexed his hand, his right hand, the one he had been busy writing with and then Severus got to work on writing a letter. He set the copy next to Draco and set the quill and ink down beside him along with a stack of short parchment pieces. 

    “I assumed you weren’t planning to sleep. Now you have something productive to do. Send them to me by noon later today.” Severus went downstairs and used the floo network to get back into the remaining parts of Hogwarts. He had many things to do that day. Draco was busy writing and cursing at himself for being so stupid. He slept the entire next day. 


	3. Chapter 3

   The beginning of the next week and Severus had just got done distributing potions and then he went home. Mortimer was already home and he was sitting around in a mess, books were thrown everywhere and there was blood against some of the walls and furniture as well as clothes strew around the sitting room, the room where they all spent the most time. Draco was busy helping Winky clean things up and Severus cleared his throat startling Winky but gaining all of their attention. 

    “What happened here?” He asked and Mortimer shrugged. 

   “Draco was having a bad week I suppose.” Draco just looked away and started to continue to clean things up. As he was being made to clean everything by hand on Severus’ new demands, he was scrubbing the blood, his blood, off the walls and then he went outside to wash his clothes and some of his bedding. Mortimer was on the chaise, as he always seemed to be when Severus was trying to have some peace and quiet, since his room now had an odd feeling, like someone was watching him every time he entered and then it was always so cold, colder than he ever liked things. Mortimer let out a sigh which Severus ignored. Then there was another deeper and longer sigh and once again he was ignored. There was the rustling of a page as it was turned and then the sound of calloused fingers sliding down a page as Severus got ready to read and turn the next page. Mortimer hadn’t seen Severus much that week as Severus was down in the basement and Mortimer was helping people move things that magic couldn’t, like all the magical items that littered the empty classrooms and the astronomy tower. Mortimer whined. 

    “Sevvy...pay attention to me.” He rolled onto his side and Severus didn’t stop looking down on his page. Draco entered the room and got on his chair and swung his feet over the arm before picking up a book and opening it up to the page with the folded ear. Knowing that Severus wouldn’t indulge him he beckoned to Draco who was as content in the silent, and motionless actions of reading but he turned to look at his maker. 

    “Do something with me, I’m terribly bored.” Mortimer started, sounding more like a left out child than a powerful blood sucking fiend. “Tell me, how was your break from Severus. Mine was horrible. I missed him dearly, I hope he missed me as well.” Both Draco and Severus had jocular smiles as they couldn’t help but feel something between humour, when Mortimer complained and whined, (which he did so often) and annoyance.   
    “I could strip off all of my clothes and sit at your feet.” Draco offered playfully. 

   “Don’t be a tease Draco, it’s unbecoming.” Severus interjected and Mortimer threw his head back and groaned. How was he going to find entertainment with a bunch of silly prudes, even if Draco had nasty and naughty thoughts he never acted on them and it was disappointing because when he said stuff like that, he would look beautiful on the floor, awaiting orders to do whatever his  _ owner _ wanted while naked showing off his beautiful body. It frustrated the Sire vampire and sure enough Draco just giggled and stood up.    
   “I’ll make you some tea Severus.” Draco went to the kitchen. Mortimer flipped over onto his stomach. 

    “When did you two get so close?” 

   “When I caught him with Potter. I’m sure he’s just trying to get me to allow him something. It’s all an act, I’m sure he’s actually quite angry with me. I made him write the a Black Quill after all.” Severus said, never looking away from his book, his voice as cold as he appeared. 

   “You caught him with Potter!” Mortimer bit his lip, “That’s not good. No, not at all. He could very easily get addicted, I haven’t even weaned him off my blood and onto lesser blood, like normal wizards. One taste of that boy you help and he will never want anything else.” 

    “Well, let’s hope he behaves.” Severus said, “If he decides to do something stupid that could jeopardize himself then that is his own problem, although I will try to avoid it, Draco is quite clever and cunning just like his father, and I mean both his birth father and myself.” 

    “He’s only been with us for a little more than a month, I say he takes after me.” 

   “Well, he’s not an annoying, whining pathetic excuse of a vampire and a wizard, so he’s not like you.” Mortimer stood up and ran to the kitchen. Draco was bringing out the tea and Mortimer put a hand to his chest and pushed him back against the island in the middle of the room. He bit his finger and let his blood drop Severus’ tea. 

    “What are you doing? He won’t drink that.” Draco hissed, he had just spent a good chunk of his life making this tea, he had a mission, and he needed to get Severus’ willing and pliant so he would agree with him, he could record his words and use them against him to get what he wanted. He knew that it was done to the others who were always so loud when he was in the basement, it was also in some of Lockhart’s books, something that he had done to get some hag to talk with him, it was a great idea and now Mortimer was screwing with his plan. 

    “Vampires have a special enzyme, well they have a lot of  _ special  _ enzymes, but there is one that triggers a release a cocktail of hormones it’s called lysosine it’s like taking a shot of muggle heroin. It’s similar to saliva, but vampire saliva contains secrefine, only something that vampires have, it’s like human arousal in a refined and extremely potent. It’s what keeps people there when we bite them. If it was unpleasurable then nobody would volunteer to feed us.” 

    “So you’re drugging Severus to make him horny?” Draco asked rather bluntly and Mortimer shifted, licking his finger to close the wounds. He eventually nodded. That is exactly what he was doing, because he wanted to just show Severus why they had been together, and he ignored the fact that he had only been there because Severus was lonely, young, and had just lost the love of his life. Why they would be good together in the present, how it would work to benefit them both as well as the teen they kept and trained, although Mortimer hadn’t been training him this well, in fact this explanation of drugging with their own bodily fluids, specifically vampire exclusive fluids. But for Mortimer it was something important, and this would probably be important to Draco one day, and no matter how Mortimer wanted to spin the situation into something that would point to him trying to inform or educate Draco it was hard to lie to himself, because really he was doing it for himself. Draco handed the tray to Mortimer and leaned away dramatically. 

   “I’m not taking the fall for this. You made the tea.” Draco walked out of the room and went to sit by Severus who lazily went to adjust Draco’s long hair when Draco demanded his attention be focused on him. Somehow, focusing on Draco wasn’t even close to being as obnoxious as it was when Mortimer demanded attention and affection. He was in the middle of braiding it when Mortimer had decided to come out of the kitchen. He poured them all a glass and put the right amount of sugar and cream in Severus’ and handed the cup to him, serving him first. Mortimer poured himself a cup. 

  “You are capable to get your own tea, Draco.” Mortimer said, sitting back. Severus didn’t take the tea because he was in the middle of doing something, more specifically lavishing Draco with familial touches and the comfort that such a thing brought to the boy who had been deprived of such attention and care when he was a young little wizard. 

    “Are all vampires wizards? Can all vampire practice magic?” Draco asked as Severus used the black hair tie to tie up the end of the braid. He tapped his sides and Draco shifted to sit less close and eventually he got up and sat back on his own claimed chair. He poured himself tea and took a sip. He didn’t feel anything. He was sure that it was just in Severus’ cup but he was curious as to the effect on another vampire. Mortimer was acting fine, but as to be expected as it was his blood. 

    “Just allow me one kiss.” Mortimer complained, as if he hadn’t put mind altering substances in Severus’ tea. Severus just shook his head and took a sip before setting the cup back down. He picked up his book and continued to read. The two men, not Mortimer, were busy reading and idly talking about the bizarre passages and how they didn’t seem to make sense. Then the opposite asking of the meaning of the passages would help the other understand the passage by giving their opinion on what was meant. Sometimes Severus corrected the book’s information on things as he did them in a simpler way or he had learned it a better way due to hands on experience. Severus’ family had many books on their past and also quite a few books with original spells scribbled down or weird potions that he had never heard of from Severus’ other books. Severus had drank his cup of tea and Mortimer politely refilled the cup and then went back to doing whatever the curious vampire did. Finally he stood up. 

   “Well, Draco, let’s go out, rid your mind of that Potter boy I heard you had met with. I need to get out of the house, I’ll show you where to find willing donors.” 

   “You will not take him to any of those vile clubs for the vampires with their wanton sluts. No, I will not have him near those places.” Severus said, closing his book and preparing his tea and then drinking it. He stood up as if nothing was wrong. “Now, I must leave, I need to go to my garden and check on the more fragile of plants.” Snape apparated and Mortimer laughed. 

   “I bet you he’s in his room.” Mortimer said clicking his tongue before rising to his feet, “That should definitely get him to remember how good I am.” He extended his arms and pulled his sleeves down over his wrists and then went to put his shoes on. Draco looked up the stairs from his seat on the chair and then he went to put his shoes on as well. Mortimer looked down at Draco who was only a few centimeters shorter than him. “Would you like to come with me? I will be going out.”    
    “To one of your  _ vile _ vampire clubs?” Draco asked with a smile as he went outside and sat on the stairs. Mortimer followed behind him.    
    “I am. Are you sure you don’t want to learn how to pick out your prey. It’s easy, I’m sure you could learn it yourself, but I would love to actually teach you something. I’m not a very good vampire, especially now that I have a leash, or now that I have one that being held by someone who really wants to kill me.” 

   “Tell me about it.” Draco says seriously, he wants to know what’s going on. Mortimer wasn’t anything like the vampires that Draco had read about, he didn’t do much of anything interesting as the others did and all the while he obsessed over Draco’s father, he could hardly hide his hard on most of the times, which was awkward for everyone involved, but especially bad around Severus who tried to avoid any topic of any sort of coitus, he even called sex ‘coitus’ which even Draco knew was stupid, seeing as he had been used in more than one way in the basement. (Although he did prefer to ignore and forget those times. He still wasn’t comfortable with many aspects of sex.) 

    So when Draco ended up with Mortimer at a vampire club (although it was more like a pub with some secret rooms) and he could see all the humans, they were very different from the vampires. They had colour in their cheeks, and bright eyes where the vampires were corpse like, their veins showing through their almost translucent skin, so luminous, much like Draco’s own skin. They had a blood undertone as their veins were their source of colour. He wanted to touch one of the vampires, he wanted to know if they felt like him, rock like skin that felt like silk along your fingers, and so cold. He reached over to touch Mortimer and Mortimer grabbed his hand and pulled him into a room. In the room, there were bodies littering the floor, a writhing tangle of limbs. Many of the bodies were human, Draco could tell, their bodies pumping blood and throbbing with heat and lust. It was nearly irresistible, but he had almost had a taste of something better, he didn’t want this, he wanted Harry Potter. 

    Mortimer reached down and helped a young lady untangle herself, he picked her up and moved her to a couch off in the corner. It was dark and there was smoke and fog in the air, like some humidifier was being used as well as someone smoking lots, like a fire was burning. The red lights that cast an eery  glow on everyone of the trembling and snake like bodies in their heap of heat and want, it was tempting but Draco was fine. He went to Mortimer and watched as he became more of a vampire than he had since he was first bitten. For weeks, he hadn’t seen anyone get bit, except when he bit Mortimer, and even then he just bit down and took what he wanted, until Mortimer pushed him away, and the one time he had to pry him off. The girl was quick to expose herself, but Draco knew that it was just a  _ here _ thing, he doubted anyone in the real world would comply so easily, like warm clay, shaping to fit everything that Mortimer wanted. She moaned as Mortimer started to suck on her neck, no fangs, just teasing and making the skin hot. Draco payed attention and Mortimer bit his wrist and held it out for Draco, who took it and gladly puncture it with his own teeth. The girl was being held up, her legs straddling Mortimer’s hips, by the small of her back as Mortimer’s hand was firm. He bit down on her skin and she moaned, Mortimer moaned, Draco was very,  _ very  _ happy. He had lived for so long, or so it felt like such a long life and this was the best he felt it could get, this was the best that he had ever felt. Mortimer pulled back and petted the woman’s hair before kissing her lips and pulling his wrist away from Draco slowly and he lifted her up and placed her in front of him, standing. She smiled and staggered until she regained her footing and she left the room. Draco looked out into the bodies. 

    “I don’t want any of these.” Draco told Mortimer who frowned, it was true that his poor child had felt the power and indeed now wants only what he cannot have. 

    “I suppose we could go home.” Mortimer stood and took Draco out to the front room and disapparated them home. When they arrived back in the foyer, they could hear the grumbles of Severus who was sounding very angry, and more particularly, angry at Mortimer. When Draco walked in, Severus settled down and sat back in his chair. He picked up a potions book and then he put it down to read a hex and jinx book before he looked back at the two of them. 

   “You did what I asked you not to and took Draco to a vampire club, did you not?” 

    “I did, but he enjoyed it. He needed to find out about that place sooner than later, Sev.” Mortimer said going to sprawl out on the chaise, his favourite place to preen at himself and try and flaunt his body to Severus who wouldn’t even spare him a scowl. Draco sat in his chair and reflected on the experience. He repeated the that he didn’t find it enjoyable and that he wasn’t particularly interested in anyone’s blood. He just wanted to learn from Mortimer to see what he had to offer, he ended by letting Mortimer know that he better start offering more or else he would find a new mentor. Severus just puffed his chest out and said ‘I told you’ without saying anything to Mortimer who slumped in his chair, now he was annoyed. 

    That night Severus had to leave as there was an emergency with an illness with a family that Harry had delegated him to care for until they found their feet. Mortimer was busy pouting and eventually he went out for another snack because he said something like, ‘I don’t want your eyes on me, you pitiful spawn.’ Either way, he would regret it when Draco gave him the same treatment Severus did. He was really such an easily manipulated house pet Mortimer was. That night he was visited by none other than Harry Potter. He was sure that the other new that his caretakers were both off because he arrived once Mortimer left and he knew of everyone under Severus’ watch. 

    Harry knocked on the door and Draco got up to open it. He saw Harry and he opened the door wider, letting him inside. 

    “Everyone is out, except me.” Draco said as they walked into the sitting room. Harry pulled some small bean sized books and then he pointed his wand to the books. 

    “ _ Engorgio _ ,” He said and the books grew to be bigger. Draco looked at them. “You can pick them up, they’re not going to hurt you.” Harry had a laugh in his voice, something that made him seem nice to be around, as if he was only a good person, no faults, but Draco knew that it was a false reality, he knew of Harry Potter’s life, Severus had told him when he questioned him about the boy. There were three books all on the table, they were large and dusty. There was the  _ Most Macabre Monstrosities _ ,  _ Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration _ , and  _ Magical Drafts and Potions _ all of which Draco was sure they already had a copy of but then from Harry’s back pocket he pulled out a smaller book  _ The Tales of Beedle the Bard _ something that they didn’t have in the library ‘study’ or the sitting room’s book shelves. 

    “I thought you would like some new books. I’m not sure if you’ve already read these or not. I was going to bring  _ A Vampire’s Monologue _ but Hermione said only people who wanted to get bit by vampires read that book. It was really boring anyway.” Harry smiled and set the smaller book on top of the pile. 

   “You know Severus and Mortimer aren’t here.” Draco said as he picked up the book and looked it over. It was translated, roughly, like a little booklet with the original cover sketched on a little piece of thicker parchment (it was cardstock, muggle things that wizards don’t really need) and then there were some runes in it, runes that had little explanations of how they didn’t have a real English equivalent and rather meant something along the lines of whatever was written down. He looked up at Harry. 

   “I’m sorry, for the last time you were over.”    
   “Don’t worry about it, I -- don’t remember what happened.” Harry lied, “But the pond was pretty. The moon really makes your hair shiny.” 

    “Oh. Well, thank you, I think. Would you like some tea?”    
   “No thank you, I actually came to talk to you about Mortimer.”    
   “Sure, what about him?” Draco could only think of a few things that anyone would want to talk to Mortimer about. What did Mortimer really do to gain any sort of recognition besides follow Severus and attach himself to the long haired man’s hip. Harry shifted and pushed his glasses up. Draco noticed that Harry’s hair was getting longer, just a little. Subtle things that only a vampire would notice, he thought, or how his eyes have golden flecks in then, or that the iris is lighter closer to the pupil and there's a dark ring of deep blue rather than green that wraps around the iris. How his pupils had grown wide that night, how they seemed to be larger than they needed to be tonight as the human shifted uncomfortably under Draco’s scrutiny. 

    “Is he...Is he a werewolf? A half-veela?”    
   “Is it important?” 

   “Well, even though there are laws, that will soon be put in place, the Ministry wanted me to talk to all the familiar part humans and see if they could register, to set an example.” 

   “Why do they need to register? They shouldn’t need to register, it’s not their fault that they are what they are.”    
   “Do you know about the laws that make animagi register. It’s to protect the animagus from getting hurt and to...well, this registration is similar to regular wizards’ birth certificates and pureblood and blood status. It’s just to help ensure that everyone is accounted for.”    
   “Mortimer is a vampire.”    
   “Okay, well, do you know where he --” 

   “Hello Mr. Potter. I thought you would send me a letter before coming to my home.” Severus said coming out from the other room where the fireplace was, the floo fireplace, not the one in Draco’s room. Harry looked up at him, how he always heard his voice and put it straight to the feelings of inadequacy as it is what reminded him of his failures the most. Severus walked into the room and sat on the chaise that was abandoned, although knowing and thinking about how it  _ was _ Mortimer’s seat, it was slightly uncomfortable, but something as small as that wouldn’t bother him. “The next time you arrive without my knowledge, I will have to start thinking you have a death wish. This home is usually occupied by two vampires. That is what we are talking about, I assume.” 

    “Yes. You’re not...a vampire are you, Professor?”    
    “No,  _ I’m  _ not.” Severus looked to Draco who was squirming not only in his seat but he could feel his mind wiggling around in his body. He was very uncomfortable with talking about this subject. Harry looked at Draco. 

   “So that’s--”    
   “Yes.” Severus interrupted again. “He is a vampire. He will register, do not worry. Mortimer is training him to control himself and how to be a proper vampire. We haven’t registered yet because of his blood status.” Severus rolled his eyes at himself, Mortimer was the only vampire he was still in contact with and that was only because they shared a charge, Draco. Without that, then Severus wouldn’t be dealing with his fanged mess and would still be stalked by the obsessive twat. That’s when Mortimer arrived. He walked in through the front door and went to the chaise, to lay behind Severus who was on the edge of the seat. 

    “Being a pureblood?” Harry asked since Draco had said he was a Malfoy. He still wasn’t sure how the other wasn’t a Death Eater or hadn’t at least been used in some way, but he assumed he had his purpose and perhaps he was turned into a vampire for punishment for refusing to act. The blond before him was not evil, at least Harry had never thought him to be evil, nor did he suspect him. He was just put in the wrong place at the wrong time.    
    “Yes, the last remaining member of the Malfoy family out of Azkaban, besides Narcissa, and of course, he is no longer able to produce a pureblood heir.” Severus started while Mortimer just whined, he pulled a cloak up over his head and wrapped his arms around Severus’ hips. “Being a son to such a ruthless Death Eater, even after the war, would lead to some questioning and doubt of his loyalty, which would be devastating to him. He is quite an introvert.”    
    “Well, we could register discreetly. I am on good terms with Minister Shacklebolt and we can ensure your privacy,” He smiled at Draco who looked away, causing Harry to frown. Had he done something wrong? Draco was a vampire, so was Mortimer, it wasn’t like he was persecuting them, they all just needed to be kept track of. The wizarding world was also starting to regulate the purchase of magical items, just as it had been with magical pets and soon they would need to register wizards themselves. Most times the schools they attended would register them, but people who were in similar cases to Draco would need to be helped and even coaxed into registering. “By registering, specifically as vampires, you will be given a stable and safe food supply by registered donors, and you will be protected from the non magical world.”

    “He accepts, at least Draco does.” Severus said and Draco excused himself, picking up the books that Harry had brought and then went to his room. 

    “I hope I didn’t anger him.” Harry whispered thinking about how things had played out. 

    “Don’t worry, he will be fine. I have been hearing about the registration rules being brought into the light and I agree with them. It’s a good deal, and if he doesn’t want to register, there is always the fact that he is a Malfoy, that would hang a looming sentence to Azkaban to him. I wouldn’t want to threaten him, but it is the best option in order to keep him safe.” 

    “Yes, I’m glad you understand the importance of this new rule. Well, I would love to stay but--”    
   “You only came to see Draco, right? Don’t worry, I don’t mind. Just don’t get too close, he is exactly sociable.” 

   “He doesn’t need to be sociable in order to talk to me of all people.” Harry stood up and started to walk to the door. 

   “One more thing, Mr. Potter. Don’t start trying to fix something that can’t be fixed, it’s a nasty habit of yours to think all broken things must be repaired.” Severus stood up when Harry left the home. Severus struggled to get out of Mortimer’s arms and almost used  _ incendio  _ on the vampire’s braced hands to get him to release him. Severus didn’t like to be coddled. Severus made his way to Draco’s room. When he knocked there was no reply and he walked into the room. Draco was on the bed, his arms holding the translated book. The other three larger books were on the floor next to the bed. Draco glared and looked up from the book. 

   “It’s inhumane to make us register.” Draco started but Severus quickly took ahold of the conversation. 

   “It is inhumane to send someone to Azkaban based on surname alone, but the wizards would do that to you without a second glance, especially since you’re a vampire.” Severus sat on the foot of the bed, keeping his hands in his lap as Draco crawled up closer to rest his head on Severus’ shoulder. Severus reached up to fondly caress Draco’s head and pet his hair. 

   “I don’t want to be a prisoner again, I don’t want people to know everything I do, I don’t--”    
   “I know it doesn’t sound fair, but the world isn’t fair. And no matter how much you might want something, sometimes you have to deal with something else. It’s adapting to life.”    
   “Mortimer doesn’t have to do it, I bet.”    
   “I also don’t care if Mortimer is hauled to the darkest and deepest hole known to the worst wizards and horrible criminals, because I don’t care about Mortimer. I care about you and your well being.” Severus stated, he pulled Draco closer to him and petted his hair before running his fingers through the loose, straight hair. He wondered if Draco wanted to cut his hair. He wondered if it would grow back if it was cut. Draco let out a deep breathe, although it was now out of habit; out of feeling like he needed to breathe in order to look like Severus, human. Draco pushed Severus away and Severus knew that what he needed to say was already said and he left Draco to be by himself. He went to his potions lab to brew some more sun resistant potions for Draco and maybe he would make some for Mortimer, out of the simple need to brew potions and finding that he needed to make more. 

 

_     It was a summer day in Knockturn Alley and the sun was hidden among dark clouds, the weather was hot and sticky, sickly even as it was causing the flu to travel at higher rates due to the sweaty contact of everybody. But it was starting to turn into night and Severus was devastated so he walked, being careful not to touch anyone but at the same time not moving very much as he did indeed bump into people. A few hags who shouted at him and hunched over, their warts large and with hair poking out from them like whiskers. Severus was going to The White Wyvern and as he extended his arm to pull the door open a smooth hand pressed against his chest and then pulled him by the shoulders into the darkness beside the pub. He was dragged down a back alley, darker and scarier than even the place which was already full of back alleys (a back alley of a back alley). Severus was pushed up against the wall and then he felt the sharp pain in his neck. Then it dissipated into poignant haze that flooded him, making his body feel the mental stress and pain, the loneliness. He felt himself getting lighter and lighter before there was a soft tongue running over his skin. It was like putting a bandaid over a burning limb and Severus fell forward, slinking to his knees only to be picked up and held by those strong arms, like Greek pillars keeping him attached to reality. Never once did he mind what was happening, he came to die, and now that it could very well happen, he still wasn’t regretting anything.  _

_     There was the queasiness that came with apparating, especially as Severus was still young, he hadn’t apparated much in his life, he didn’t plan he would have a chance after this encounter anyway, so what did it matter? Severus felt a softness under his back and he felt how cold this stranger’s skin was, this vampire. Severus opened his eyes and only saw a blur of limbs as the being moved around and over him. The robe around him was pushed off of his chest and then down to the collar of his shirt he felt the fangs again and he tried to move his arms but he couldn’t seem to manage to lift them up.  _

_     That night was full of weird things, and when Severus woke up, it was evening and the vampire was already gone. Severus got dressed and when he went home, the vampire was there. Mortimer was there.  _

_    “Sorry for leaving, sundown is when I can leave the confines of my home, I had to get something to eat.”  _

_    “Yes, I assumed so.” Severus looked to the door of his parents house. “Y-you should leave. My mom and dad, they don’t...they don’t even know about...anything.” He said, his eyes downcast and on his feet. Severus moved his hair to one side and then a man came outside and was sure on lecturing the boy when he stopped and saw Mortimer, who was a tall and rather pretty vampire. He quickly pulled Severus inside and slammed the door. That night, Mortimer climbed the side of the house and hung onto the ledge in Severus’ roof and Severus was quite fond of the vampire. He invited him inside and they talked about boring things like school.  _

_    “I’m sorry, I didn-”  _ _  
_ _    “No, you’re fine.”  Mortimer was always so gentle with Severus after that night, even when Severus didn’t want anything to be gentle, the vampire’s touches were always soft and despite the cold skin that covered him, his touches were warm and filled with affection that he hadn’t gotten much of in the past. Mortimer was there when Severus left his house, packed his things in a suitcase and managed to get everything inside before he let Mortimer to apparate them to his own dwelling. At that time it was a medium sized house, it was nice and everything was soft and cozy. It was either warm or hot in the house, never was it cold or chilly, it was just the way the vampire liked it. That was the house that Severus had woken up in, so many nights previous. That was the house that Severus had lived in while he was busy serving the Dark Lord, when he had seen Narcissa with child, the child that vanished in thin air and he never saw for a few years (when he discovered the boy was being kept in the basement, with a dirt floor and surrounded by the silent darkness). Mortimer had taught Severus so much, and after the first month of living together, Severus was asking of much more of the vampire than was normal.  _

_   “Could I… have a taste?” Severus had asked so many times. Each time he got the same response, a bitten wrist or a sliced neck, sometimes he was present with a long gasp near the collarbone and each time Severus drank his vampire lover’s blood, he needed it, he craved it and he wanted nothing more. That was until Lily’s death. He had been there, he had picked up Lily’s body and cried, really, it was when he left Mortimer. If not in body then he was lost spiritually and mentally. He asked for nothing, nothing but to be alone. Mortimer didn’t allow him to be alone for too long, he could see the effect it was having on Severus and it wasn’t good. He prefered when he was needed, wanted, when he was addictive and when they were passionate. Mortimer had never understood loss, and how could he, he never had anyone to lose, not his parents, not his siblings, nobody. But Severus felt loss like no other, it hollowed him out and left him empty, with nothing, no capacity to love in fear of losing again. Severus had left during the day, when Mortimer was asleep in their bed, the one that Severus had gladly picked out sheets and a comforter for, all in black and green. Mortimer had to get rid of the blankets and everything that Severus left. He got rid of them only to find them all again and treasure them. That was the first time that Mortimer felt loss and it wasn’t pleasant. In fact, when Severus was in the Malfoy guest room, Mortimer had arrived and bribed Lucius with pretty words and antique magic before slipping away inside to find Severus. That night, he tried to recreate the first night they met. He was met with sobs and cries and the fail attempt to push him away. That night he made the biggest mistake of his life and he tried to turn Severus into a being like him. Lucius was sure to pull him away. As both men shouted at each other.  _ __  
_    Then, after an incident with a vampire sibling, around the same time that the Dark Lord had come back in the flesh, Mortimer went and pledged his services, promised to serve under the Lord for the protection he granted. He was accepted and was met with Severus who didn’t look at him most of the time.  _ _  
_ __    It is so magical, it had to be magic that did this, for them to once again be living with one another, tolerating each other, even if they aren’t intimate. Even if they aren’t very close, they shared a charge, a being that needed them to get along more than anything, even if there were only icy words and glares full of hate between them, at least coming from Severus. 

    Severus was lost in thought as he made his potions and ended up just leaving his brew and cleaning his cauldron and tools before going to get something to eat and then heading to his room, just to escape himself. Severus climbed into bed, having stripped of his day robes and gotten dressed in his night robes. Beside him was Mortimer who had taken a liking to his bed and not wanting to disturb him, Severus let it slide. He reached over hesitantly and ran his fingers through Mortimer’s chestnut hair and then he lay down and turned onto his side, facing away from Mortimer and tried to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I should be updating around the 6th of January, for the fourth chapter anyway. I hope you like the story so far, and I'm sorry if they're a little OOC. I'm going to explain that none of the Golden Trio really know Draco, therefore they don't know how to react around him. Harry is scared of him, that's why he's acting weird, Hermione is just curious and Ron, well Ron hasn't really met him yet. I don't know when they'll meet or how long it will be until they all meet and are OK with each other, but they will be. It's like meeting someone who's just really different than you, although I know nobody has ever met a dead person who kills other people and drinks other peoples blood (and if you do, I would strongly rethink your friend choice or check your life, but also, I'm not going to hate on anyone or tell you how to live your life). So, yeah just some heads up. This story has really gotten away from me as in it's become so much more complicated than I originally expected. There are tons of little subplots and stuff and really I'm writing Draco as a trauma victim because that's what he is in this universe, he is a victim of trauma for his entire life up until Severus saved him. So for 18 years he was abused and used as a slave and weapon, and now he is adjusting to not only a life outside of this highly stressful and horrible environment that his own parents made for him because of their loyalty, but he also has to learn and understand how to control his new powers, his new everything now he is a vampire. 
> 
> Did Mortimer really turn Draco just because he was beautiful? Well, I really have to think on that as much as I would hope anyone else would. I mean, why is he attracted to Severus and why does he like Hermione (Sorry if I haven't updated to this part yet, I'm not sure but it's not spoiling too much)? He has to see something in Draco, and even I'm not sure about that (don't lose faith in me though) but I plan to have something like really deep, because under that asshole and childlike exterior is really a beautiful and hurt person who just needs to be accepted and loved, just like everyone really needs to be. He's not much different than a modern teenager except he's over two centuries old, is technically from a different continent even though spending a lifetime in one place, I'm not sure if that makes you from that continent or not (vampire mechanics are difficult kiddies) but anyway, I won't bother you with this much again about the story until I really need to explain myself, which I hope I don't have to do because I would like my story to explain itself. 
> 
> If you have any questions or anything, just ask and I'll try my best to answer without giving too much away. I really want to have a successful and more importantly, a fun and good story for all of you (the peeps reading this) and I hope you like it. I really do. Jeez, I'm all sappy. Anyway, I'm running out of my character limit, so until the 6th.


	4. Chapter 4

    Harry sat in his room and Ginny was on the other side of the bed, just because tonight was colder and Ron had sent Ginny inside so that she didn’t seem too distant from her boyfriend. Ginny didn’t really care, Harry and her both needed space, they were going through shit from the war. Since Ron and Hermione had spent their time together, chilling and drinking hot chocolate and eating too much food together, Hermione starting to pick up a bad habit to cure her stress, and getting through their sadness together, Ron expected Ginny and Harry to need the same comfort. Ginny was the only girl in a house full of boys, besides her mother, and she learned that she needed time to be by herself, so she could read or paint her nails or do something to relax her, and Harry was an introvert, he may not seem like one, but he was one at heart and he just needed time to recharge after all of his work. Especially at night, that was his calm time, where he wasn’t up trying to help people or wasn’t sitting through meetings he had to go to with Kingsley. His room was his room, the old master bedroom, and he liked to sit in there, drink a nice warm butterbeer and play chess with himself or eat candy that he had ordered online from the muggle stores online. There were so many different kinds of candies muggles made. Then he had his stash of Honeyduke sweets and those were all hidden and he ate candy and just remembered how it was during his first few years, at least the good parts where he indulged in stuff little kids could do. 

    Ginny got up and put her book down, crawling back and wrapping an arm around Harry. She leaned up to kiss him and he just let it happen. She pulled back and sighed.    
   “Harry,” she started, “I don’t have anything against you but...I don’t like kissing you.” 

   “Is it my breath? My mouth? I can kiss back, I just wasn’t feeling it.” Harry started to ramble, he was scared, is he pushing away the only potential girlfriend and his best friend’s sister? 

   “No, no, it’s because, I don’t want to be your girlfriend. I thought I did, but I don’t want to anymore. You’re like an older brother to me and it’s just, isn’t it awkward for you?” 

   “It is. You are like a little sister that I’m being forced into a romantic relationship with. I just don’t want to disappoint your mum or father. They’ve been practically planning a wedding since my first year.” Harry and Ginny were laughing and they were laughing so hard at the fact that they had been set up since before they really knew what and who they liked, it was just funny. Molly was knocking on the door. Ginny got off the bed and opened the door. She smiled. 

   “It’s time for dessert, I made cherry chocolate roulade.” She smiles and Harry gets up off the bed and goes out with Ginny to the table. He takes his seat at the head of the table across from Arthur. Molly sat next to Arthur and Ginny sat by her mom even though Molly tried to get her to sit by Harry. She just giggled and Molly quietly asked her what was wrong, she got a reply of a snicker. Everyone but one was seated and there was only one empty seat where Ginny was ‘supposed’ to sit. Ron and Hermione sat next to Harry and then Neville sat down in Ginny’s seat, nervously and Molly cut and started passing dishes down. She had to made four different roulades to accommodate the appetite for dessert from all of the guests. Finally, after Molly’s poking and prodding and questions Molly exclaimed, “I broke up with Harry.” And everyone went silent. 

    Ron looked to his sister and George was still hunched over his food, shoving spoonfuls into his mouth and just chewing lethargically, missing his brother, something he felt like he would never get over, and he didn’t want to get over it. Arthur looked across the table at Harry and Molly stared down at her daughter. Hermione cleared her throat and started to make conversation with Neville and Andromeda, who held Teddy on her lap and let him eat cherry yogurt from a little blue baby spoon. Since Sirius’ death and then Narcissa’s reclusiveness  (and the fact that Narcissa wasn’t allowed to speak to her for so long due to their mother and her bloody pureblood mentality) she had decided to take over as Harry’s godmother and was quite helpful. She was great at insight on everything and nothing was ever taboo with her, she just wanted to have everyone happy and everyone be happy with who they were and with the situation that they were all in. Ron put his hand on Hermione’s hand to silence her and she looked down and moved the cherries around in the cream cheese filling while she mashed idly at the chocolate sponge cake with her fork. George excused himself, not wanting to get into anything at the table. He walked up the stairs and went to his room, shutting the door loudly just to add a period to his unspoken sentence of his pain. It was a bit dramatic but it was what he needed, he missed his brother and they all sympathized with them, he would take it the hardest, not saying that the other Weasleys weren’t feeling terrible about it, but they were able to mourn while George just lost his other half, he was thrown into a black hole and was spinning out of control. 

    “What do you mean, ‘broke up’?” Molly was the one asking, her voice quiet as to not make too loud a noise to disrupt the silence. 

   “We just want to be friends,” Harry chimed. He stood up and tried to look like the  _ dominant _ male he was, although he just looked like a short little boy, confused and hurt at everyone’s reaction. Did they no longer like him now that he wouldn’t be offering them anything like children or marriage into their family? “I think too much of Ginny as a sister, you are my family, I don’t need to be married to her for you all to know that, and she doesn’t feel for me in a romantic way anymore.” 

    “Hermione,” Ron started. He pushed his chair away from him. He needed to do something to break the silence and the stares all focused and because of Harry and what else would his parents want than their son to get married to one of the smartest girls that ever attended Hogwarts? “Will you marry me?” 

   “I do?” And Ron smiled and pulled Hermione up in a hug as he jumped up from his knees

    Molly stood up as did Arthur. 

   “Stop, everybody stop,” Molly shrieked, “I just want to say, I just want to -- Ronnie-kins...I’m glad for you, and Ginny, Harry, I think you should reconsider and at least let your relationship bloom and develop outside of a war zone.” What Molly didn’t realize that Hermione thought that Ron and her romance bloomed out of war times, would this relationship whether away without the high stress environment of running for your life, of fighting for survival? Hermione excused herself, pushing away from Ron and going to her room, not Ron’s room, the one they had been sharing, but to her own room, with all of her everything left. Ron excused himself to go after her but Harry grabbed his arm and pulled him by him. He gave him that look, the one that asked for backup from your best friend, just to help out, but Ron looked away and wiggled free from Harry’s grasp. He ran up the stairs to follow Hermione who had locked herself in her room. Ron sat down by the door and waited for her to relax. She must have just been really excited, he was always a little daft with relationships. Ginny started to walk off but Molly called for her to come back. 

    “We’ll be leaving.” Andromeda said and Neville left with them since Augusta had been asleep and it was best to check on her and see what she needed, in case she had a heart attack or a stroke, he was always so cautious with his poor old grandmother who dedicated her life to raising him, he was so unfair, he thought, he should have never of been such a burden to his grandmother, he would be the death of her and it really hurt him. He ran up the stairs ahead of Andromeda who walked slowly with Teddy as she bounced him in her arms and tapped his back to burp him. He burped a few times and then he was asleep as she was warm and he could feel her love, she really loved him and so did everybody there, mostly Andromeda, Hermione, and Harry though. Hermione was so good to him, just thanking her Professor Lupin and his beautiful wife Nymphadora. She was still locked in her room. Arthur sat back down and Harry did the same. He waved his wand and the table cleared itself and then it shrunk so they could sit closer and more comfortably, so they didn’t have to shout across the table at each other. 

    “Now, Harry, we will always love you, you’re our little Ron’s best friend and you saved our lives, but...what’s wrong with her? Is she not your type? She was in love with you back when--”    
   “Back in the first couple of years of her schooling, a little bit during the war, and now, I just want her to be what she wants, and she said she wanted to not be together, and I agreed because I love her like a sister.”    
   “We can work with that if you’re okay with some more taboo subjects.” Molly started but her shoulder was tapped by Arthur.    
    “Molly, I think Harry and I need to have a talk about this without Ginny or you. Please return to your room Ginny and Molly return to ours.” Molly and Ginny both got up, Molly was rather reluctant and Ginny was glad she could go and be by herself now that she was sure she was gonna get lectures about how she didn’t do her job and marry the Chosen One like everyone expected. That’s it, everyone just expected so much of Harry, no wonder he was always so stressed, even during their romantic times, they couldn’t do anything, he couldn’t really, get it up either because he was so stressed about the war, about everything that was being forced upon him. Not even when it may have been their last times to do something, to feel pleasure, he didn’t want that. She went to her room, but then ran out to grab her book from Harry’s room and a chocolate frog from his stash, since nobody really ate much food, except Ron who had shoveled the roulade into his face. Molly returned to the other largest bedroom which she and Arthur were living in for a while, until they got another home to fit all of their family. 

    “Mr. Weasley, I’m sorry if I have said something out of turn, but I just, I don’t want to marry your daughter, I’m not interested her in that way, I just want to-”    
   “No, I’m more concerned about Ron and Hermione. She comes from two muggles? I’m glad we will have someone in our family who will be able to teach me about the muggle world with first hand experiences.” Arthur chuckled and both of them could hear Mrs. Weasley’s frustration with them. “But, Harry, this is just what we all expected, for so long. Would you please give it a chance, and reconsider.”    
    “I think...I think that people need to stop expecting things from me. Stop holding me on a pedestal that I can never reach, never climb to. I never got a decent childhood because of my status as the Chosen One, my years at Hogwarts, wow, I had to fight things that nobody should have been fighting. My love life is nearly non existent and now that I have a chance to choose for myself who I want to be and what I want to do with my life, I’m being bombarded with my expectations, unfair expectations that everyone is putting on me. I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t want to be the boy-who-lived anymore. That life is behind me, and I’m not going to do things just because it is ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’. I’m going to do things because I want to do them. Now, I will let you reconsider your opinion after you think about that for the night and tomorrow as I will be gone for the day tomorrow fixing the problems that were caused way before I was even a baby but happened to be stopped by me. Goodnight Sir.” Harry got up from the table and made the table large again before going to his room.    
    Arthur Weasley was not one to judge on blood status, Merlin knew that he wasn’t  _ that  _ of person, but Molly, no matter how much it didn’t seem to bother her, still bothered her a little. Hermione meant the world to the Weasleys and even more to Ron who just idolized her and her greatness, but her heritage did bring her ancestors into question, and that meant that Molly wanted information gathered and that meant that Arthur would get that information to appease his nosy wife. He loved Molly with all of his heart but her more anxious and irritable sides were some sides that he would rather just lock in a box and throw it to Azkaban. Arthur promised to get her records, to help understand just  _ what _ their son was getting into, no matter how opposed to such treatment would mean and how much Arthur disliked it, it’s not like it would change the fact that they approved of their marriage, it was more of curiosity, he told himself and he was sure that Molly was telling herself the same thing as she turned off the light and rolled onto her side. He pulled the light switch and turned to wrap an arm around Molly and going to sleep. 

    It had been a couple of weeks since he saw Draco and Severus. He could have owled Severus but it was so late at night. Draco would be up and that’s who he wanted to see anyway. Harry apparated close to the pond that Draco had first tried to...do whatever Draco tried to do, Harry didn’t think much of it, even after finding out that Draco was a vampire, it seemed unimportant, it’s not like he blamed Draco for anything or held anything against him for anything. Harry walked up the bath and to the door. 

   “ _ Alohomora _ .” He said and the door unlocked and he walked in. He looked around and saw that nobody was downstairs except for Draco who was sitting on the chair casting little firework charms, mostly the green fireworks and some purple as he liked that colour too. He turned his head and he saw Harry walk in. Draco stood up, fixing his robes that he was still dressed in. 

   “Hey,” Draco whispered as he stood up and got closer, “Why are you here? Severus and Mortimer are in the garden fighting, it’s not a good time for you to be here.” Draco tried to say, leading Harry to the door. Harry smiles and leans against the front door and holds on Draco’s hand. 

   “Let’s go back to the pond, maybe we can see it more. Nobody will suspect anything. Let’s have some fun.” Harry suggested and Draco smiled and nodded, following him outside after relocking the door. They practically ran out to the pond and sat in the same positions but Draco didn’t put anything down on the ground, it took forever to get mud from out of the fabric and he had to wash it by hand to get it perfect and he was not doing it again. Harry sat down and cast his patronus. Draco went out to touch it but it was just light. He watched as the stage walked around them and then into the forest before disappearing.    
    “How do I cast that?” Draco asked, holding out his wand.    
   “Here, let me show you,” Harry held Draco’s arm out and showed him the motion he had to make with his wand. Then he pulled his hands back. “Think of your happiest memory, and then say ‘ _ expecto patronum _ ’. It’s simple once you get it. Don’t worry, you might not get an animal during the first try, sometimes people can’t summon their full patronus ever, it depends on how happy the memory is.” 

    Draco tried it and got nothing, he thought about Severus and Mortimer together with him and he got a little light but it wasn’t enough, there was no animal. He tried it again and again until he got tired and Harry said he needed to relax and that he would give him chocolate if he had any and that just confused Draco because what was chocolate and what did it have to do with magic? Severus didn’t like sugary things in his house, he was very healthy and Mortimer only ever talked about blood. He had only heard of it mentioned in passing as his younger brother complained or wanted it when he was little. 

    A half and hour in, Draco lay back and looked up at the trees and stars. There were owls and bats flying around, a few darker birds, but mostly owls and bats. Harry lay beside him and Draco put his hands behind his head in an effort to not get too much dirt in his hair.    
   “After the war, I just, I don’t know what to do. I haven’t stopped working, I don’t think I ever want to. I never want to grieve again, I can’t, it hurts too bad. And Ginny, she’s so sweet, my little sister, family, but her mum wants us to get married and her father, well, I have no idea what’s up with him, he’s just glad that Hermione is marrying into the family so she can help him with muggle studies.” Harry complained and Draco listened to every word, thinking about it and trying to figure out how to reply or if to reply at all. “Then George, poor George hasn’t stopped crying and just being a recluse since his brother and he hardly eats, I don’t think he sleeps much or if he does he sleeps too much because he’s always so tired. Bill is with Fleur and they’re out doing married people things, adult things. Sometimes I wish I could be a little kid again.”    
    “I don’t. I hated being a kid.” Draco chimed, her looked over at Harry who had turned his head to stare at Draco. “I lived in darkness for a long time, I heard things about my brother about the  _ Dark Lord _ and everyday I just wished to be old enough and to be strong enough to leave and be on my own. I’m not a fighter though, and I didn’t have any idea about the world outside of the dirt beneath me and the wooden flooring above me. It was so cold, and now, now I can lay by my fire all day and all night and read or try to snack, although food is rather bitter since Severus insists on healthy food or he just lives on nutrition potions for a while at a time. Mortimer is always gone. I basically live alone, and I like it. I like being alone and I like not having to do anything, I like being pampered.” 

   “Isn’t that...I don’t know. Having all your needs met is enabling, especially when you could go out and do things.” Harry realized he shouldn’t have said that and Draco pushed himself up off the ground and sat up, his body twisted so he could loom over Harry. 

   “Enabling? You mean I am having my needs met so I do nothing, I change nothing in my life. Yes, I do, I like it. At least I’m not drowning in work and complaining about all my problems anymore. I had shitty things happen, I told you, you know now. I’m not going to do anything because I did change, I got out of a bad situation. What is happening now is good? Do you not want me to be ‘good’ to be happy? Should I go and ruin my life? My family has already done that and Mortimer cursed me when he saved my life. What should I do? Should I go and play nice with your council or whatever you do? Should I tell everyone that not only am I a Malfoy but a vampire, a stupid beast that people don’t protect, a monster in both name, blood and power that nobody wants to deal with. I should just go to Azkaban and stay with my family there, Merlin knows that nobody would enable me there.” Draco put his hand on his head and looked down, to his right, away from Harry and into the thick grass that was lapped at gently as there was a dent in the sand allowing more water into the crevice, allowing more growth, more life. Life that Draco didn’t have. 

  “I didn’t mean that…” Harry said, he stood up, “I came here because I thought you of all people would understand that life is shit and I hate it. Maybe you are just a spoiled Malfoy brat like your brother.” Draco stood up and grabbed Harry’s robes in his fists, for the first time he dropped his fangs and hissed, pulling Harry closer to his face. 

   “Say that again! Compare me to him again!” Draco pushed him down and then picked him back up to toss him away and onto the ground. Draco staggered forth and lifted him again as Harry drew his wand. “Tell me how much I am like them, tell me how you see me! Tell me that you think I’m not better than any of those bastards who enslaved me under the claim of loyalty. Where were you when people like me needed you?” Draco was about to bite Harry, there were bloody tears rolling down his cheeks and his eyes were black with blood as they coloured his iris and whites of the eye. He was pushed back with a wave of a wand and Draco flew back and landed on his back. He sobbed for a second, reaching up to wipe the tears off his face, leaving a long red smear under his eyes and over the bridge of his nose. The back of his hand was bloody and he got up and started to charge at Harry, his nails long and sharp, his speed very fast, not as fast as most vampires, but strong enough for a fledgling who had yet to taste human blood. 

    “ _ Petrificus Totalus _ !” Draco’s limbs snapped to his sides and he fell forward with the force of his run and the sudden stop. He was also angled forward as he ran, his body more aerodynamically sturdy. Harry picked Draco’s body up and took him back to Severus’ house and he rested him outside the door and knocked before apparating off the property. 

    Severus got the door and picked Draco up before casting a general counter curse and Draco lunged forward in his arms. Draco turned into Severus and started to cry, staining his robes with blood and Mortimer came and looked over Severus who had gotten down on his knees and then Mortimer jumped over Severus to kneel on the other side of Draco and soothe him, or attempt to soothe him, by rubbing his arm and running his fingers through his hair. 

   “He’s right, I am just like my family, my brother.” Draco had mumbled as Severus stood and walked him to his room. Mortimer watched as Severus became more maternal and loving than Mortimer thought possible and finally Severus turned on his heal, after Draco was in bed and going to sleep, and glared at Mortimer. 

   “What are you staring at you fool. Perhaps you should blink, what a pity if they dried up and fell out.” Severus pushed past Mortimer in an attempt to come of much colder. He walked off to his room and nearly slammed the door. In one week’s time, Mortimer assured himself that he would have Draco acting as regal and royal as any vampire should, every vampire but Mortimer, but he considered himself a childish exception to the rule. Much like Mortimer’s ideas, nothing goes as planned, and much like everything Mortimer attempts, it will backfire in his face. 

    Harry arrived home and stripped off his robes and took a shower. He went to sit in the living room and look at the pictures, seeing just where Draco was placed. The tree hadn’t grown since Harry last viewed it, since Andromeda was burnt, nothing came from her anymore and most of the other lines had also been burned and stopped, but now there was something more apparent. The portrait of Draco who wasn’t burnt, who was next to his brother, he wondered how he never noticed him.

     He put out his light so he could sit in the dark and he sat down on the reclining chair, but realized he sat on someone in the dark when a little yelp sounded followed by broken laugher. He backed away and turned on a light and Hermione was sitting on the chair. Harry sat next to her on one of the sofas with a large and ugly flower embroidery on the back of the thinly padded thing. Hermione apologized. 

   “No, no, don’t worry. What’s wrong?” Harry asked, leaning forward and feeling around for Hermione’s hand. She used her wand for light but held it away from her face. Even away from her face there were wet streaks on her face that reflected the light. She sniffled and smiled, biting her lip nervously and laughing at herself. 

    “Nothing, it’s just something Mrs. Weasley said about you and Ginny.” 

    “Which thing? She said quite a lot.” 

   “About not loving and loving only in war times. Ron and I really fell in love, really, during the war, it’s when he realized it, it’s when I knew it was real. What if the high stress life of war is the only thing holding us together? What if we weren’t meant for each other, but I still love him and I hope he loves me.” She wiped away a fresh tear, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be crying over such stupid things.”    
   “It’s not stupid, not at all. It’s okay to feel things, even if they aren’t good things.” Harry started, which brought him back to what he was feeling. Rejection, hurt, self hate for being such a git, anger, frustration, sadness, confusion...it could really go on, but he didn’t even know the names of some of them, they were just there, undefined and gloomy as all Hell. Hermione moved to sit on the sofa and Harry wrapped a friendly arm around her and stroked her hair and was just there for her. She rested her head on his shoulder.    
    “When is it going to get easier?”   
    “One day, it will be.” Harry said and with that, Hermione excused herself. She made herself a cup of tea and brought one to Harry before she went to her room and lay down, probably with a book of charms or transfiguration (her latest obsession). Harry sipped his tea and eventually fell asleep on the sofa, despite how uncomfortable the damn thing was. 

   In the morning it was loud as Molly was cooking and Teddy was up and awake and just learning to crawl so he was everywhere on the floor playing with everything within reach as Andromeda was busy reading the papers. Then, just as everyone settled in for breakfast there was a knock on the door. A furious and fast knock. Arthur offered to answer it but it was Harry’s home and he would answer his own damn door. As soon as he opened it, Severus slid inside and crossed his arms.    
    “I would like to have a word with you, Mr. Potter, I hope I didn’t come at an inconvenient time.” Harry just looks at him. He knew what this is about. He nodded. 

    “Yes, please follow me to the library for this discussion.” Harry lead Severus into the library, passing the door into the dining room and sure enough the Weasleys were talking about it and even Hermione had a bad feeling about it. In the library, Severus was offered a seat but he stood. Harry sat down and adjusted his glasses, reading for whatever was going to happen. Severus pulled out envelopes from his coat and handed them to Harry. 

   “These are some of the families I have, I have supplied them with many potions, enough to keep them healthy, however I suggest they find a nice shelter and try to rebuild their lives. There is only so much potions can do.” Severus started, as dull and dreary as ever. “If there are any other families that I could be of use for I would like to try to get to them as soon as possible to make sure that no one is hurt due to time’s habit of staying on time. Time that can be a matter of life or death.” Harry rubbed his forehead and got up to find his desk and then to look through the others that needed help. 

    “I think that is all that needed major help, the others had more family or found shelter in places or have enough money to buy their own potions. We still need help with the magic needed to rebuild Hogwarts as well as repairing the thousand years and tons of power that protected the school with it’s wards. You could be of use rewarding the school, a wizard of your power will always be useful...hey, about Draco…” Harry turned and Severus raised a brow, his fingers tapping against his upper arm as they were crossed. 

    “Yes? What about Draco?”    
    “I want to, I didn’t mean what I said. He knows that right?” Harry felt bad, he had thought about it and he didn’t blame himself for setting Draco off, but rather he just blamed that the subjects they were talking about were sensitive and the fact that he had started the conversation, so maybe he did blame himself, it wasn’t a conscious blame since he only felt bad that Draco had been petrified as the fight was all Draco’s fault, his assumptions of what Harry had meant. 

    “I don’t think it’s professional to talk about our personal life. I won’t talk about mine and Merlin knows I don’t want to know about yours.” Severus was indifferent and how could he not be? “Is that all you need from me?” 

    “Er…” it flew over Harry’s head, he just looked down, “Yeah, that’s all. Just try to go with your vampire friend to help build and re-ward if you can.”    
    “I can. May I use your floo?” 

    “Yes, sure. You know where it is.” Harry smiled and Severus left first navigating his way through the large Black house and finding the floo which he used to go home. Harry returned to the table that was alive with murmurs of everyone. They all knew of Severus’ heroic everything and they also knew that Severus had still been a death eater and had killed the beloved Albus Dumbledore. Everyone sat up properly and stopped their whispers when Harry sat down at the table.    
    “So, what was Mr. Snape doing here at this hour?” Arthur asked. 

    “Yeah, like what is that vampire doing out of bed so early in the morning,” Ron commented and laughed while few others joined, like Ginny and the always giggling baby Teddy. Neville was also laughing but it was obvious he was still afraid of Severus. Harry ignored the vampire comment. 

    “He came looking for more ways to help our rebuilding efforts. He actually has been supplying our potions free of charge, he’s also sent this man to help work on rebuilding Hogwarts before the next school year.” 

     “Yes, the  _ real _ vampire.” Hermione said quickly only gaining laughs at the comment even though she was completely serious. Nobody but Harry seemed to know that though and finally Arthur settled down his two giggling children, as George was still just sort of eating, like a robot or some sort of depressing machine, and Neville along with the laughing mothers. Harry suspected that Arthur knew the truth about the mysterious man that they all knew as Mortimer, it was easy for people who knew about vampires to recognize one but Mortimer was so happy and didn’t fit the vampire ‘stereotype’ that most people would overlook it, even ones who knew of vampires.    
     “I wonder what Severus does all day long. It must be boring all alone in that huge mansion he has.” Ron laughed, only knowing about his mansion when he went there looking for valuable items for the victims of the war. He also was too used to Severus as a professor he didn’t even see him outside of academic life, forgetting that Severus was also a person.    
    “I think he spends his days reading, and probably caring for plants that can be used in potions.” Hermione said and Ron just laughed. 

   “Yeah, he loved flowers and he also loves old romance novels like  _ Pride and Prejudice _ .” Ron countered, although Hermione wasn’t finding anything funny about it. 

    “Just shove your stupid food in your bloody stupid mouth and stop pretending you even know what  _ Pride and Prejudice _ is about. Professor Snape is just a person, no matter how cold or distant. He went through his own losses. Maybe not to this war but to previous wars with the same leader.” Hermione excused herself telling Molly how the meal was great. She was going out that day, she was going to go and help with some of the people to Hogwarts castle. 

 

    Mortimer had just gone to the castle and he was standing up with other wizards, many professors, who lived on grounds like Filius and Hagrid who all took care of the grounds and also helped a little everyday to rebuild the school for the upcoming years that it had in store. Mortimer waved to them and the other wizards scattered around, moving pieces of broken building with their wands to mount back on place and wait to be sealed back together. That day though, Mortimer was working on the wards. He was very careful of who could get into the wards as he did place his own key inside of the ward so he could get into the school while Severus teaching so he could bother him while he worked, something that would be so sweet, oh he could taste the victory of being able to get up in his personal space as often as possible and irk the bat man. It was great, truly great and Mortimer had to do a good job and allow Draco’s key and signature into the ward as well. Since he had been working on the warding for about eight weeks he was getting better at making such wards since he didn’t know how to ward anything properly, at least not against wizards. He had warded monsters inside places before. One monster, the most dangerous had been released with the energy blast that happened when Voldemort was put back in the flesh. That stupid witch he had kept away was free and now he was on saved time unless he had Severus and Draco both fighting with him. That wasn’t much of a concern on these grounds because if someone attacked him, he was sure that all of these people would be alright with helping him. 

    The skinny little thing, the one that he had seen talking to Minerva a couple of times, must have been whatever house Minerva was the head of, Mortimer hadn’t talked much to Minerva, she scared him a little bit, not that he would admit that because he as a proud (-ish) vampire and she was just a witch, but she was very powerful. She outlived many of her students and that was something that must have been really hard for her and sad. The girl walked closer to Mortimer, she stood beside him and casted the ward. 

    “ _ Fianto Duri _ .” She had said and blue light came from her wand and started to help cover the grounds around school. She didn’t say anything for a long while but finally she put her wand down, having casted quite a large border around the school. “Hello, I’m Hermione Granger. You must be Mortimer, I have only heard about you from Harry and once from Severus when he was mumbling to himself in the potions lab a few weeks ago, I was helping him brew the potions, I am relatively good at potions.” She humbly stated. 

   “Oh, yeah, I’m Mortimer. It’s nice to meet you Ms Granger.” He smiled and put his wand down. “I’ve been here for a while, you wouldn’t mind leaving a little early. Perhaps we could go for tea.” Mortimer was rather earnest about this proposition and Hermione nodded. 

   “Where would you like to go?” 

    “There’s this little place in Hogsmeade that is quite nice.”    
    “Most of the books on vampires don’t say much, is it true you can eat and drink human foods?” Hermione was bold, but when Mortimer turned to her and looked at her with a cross between fear, shock and anger she felt her brass balls suck up inside of her as she became nervous and lost her confidence. 

    “Don’t say stuff like that so loud...is that what you want to talk about?” He whispered, lowering himself slightly to get closer to her so she could hear, he didn’t need to be close because he did have superior hearing, probably something not in the school books either. 

    “I would like to discuss it with you, yes.” 

    They both nodded and Mortimer cautiously held her and apparated them to the house he shared with Severus. They stood in the kitchen and Mortimer motioned to the dining room letting her sit down. She took a seat at the dark table with silver corners with designs of snake heads and bared fangs. Hermione sat with her hands crossed and soon enough Mortimer brought tea inside. He set it down and poured her a cup. He wasn’t big on tea etiquette (since Severus always did it for himself and he wasn’t a very social tea drinking person) so he let her do most of it herself as she didn’t seem to mind. 

    “So, you’re a friend of Harry’s?” 

    “Yes, since we were eleven.” She said holding the tea between her hands as if she was cold, even though they did keep the house warm with charms and fires. “So, the reason I came was because Harry and I knew, and I thought, you were a vampire and I have never met one in real life, and I love to learn. If it’s not too uncomfortable or if it isn’t too taboo a subject, will you teach me about vampires and yourself?”    
    “You really know how to make a man feel special, Ms Granger,” he joked with a half seriousness. “Well, there’s a lot, let’s start with what you know, so I can help you learn about it.” 

    “I read some muggle fiction about vampires and we had to learn about vampires in the first three years of Hogwarts, so I know that you drink blood, you are pale and cold. You have fangs and have superior sense and abilities compared to humans. I was told that vampires are dangerous, but you are very approachable and respectful.” 

    “Am I really? Severus sure seems to disagree. So does Draco, they both think I’m incompetent and just a joke.”    
    “Yes...Draco? Does he also live here?” 

    “Oh, shite. I take back what I said,” he fumbled and stuttered a bit as he tried to catch his words and just magic them back as if he didn’t mention anything. “Yes, he’s my child, so he lives here.”    
    “So, vampires do have sires and then child-s? Are they called children like actual human children or just child as in ‘my child’?”    
    “That’s a, wow, that’s a really good question. I don’t turn people often, but I’m his sire and he’s my child. I don’t know if the plural is the same, I’m assuming it would be children, maybe they would call them their offspring, that may be more vampire-like.” Mortimer could feel the laughter, it was in his head, at himself, but it was getting bad. This girl came to him for information and the search for knowledge about his kind, she was polite and sweet, no matter how touchy a subject and she was more than willing to ask for answers and just wanting to know. That curiousness was so attractive, so tasteful. Mortimer took a drink of his tea, burning his tongue but at least he had something to do in his silence as he thought to himself. 

    “Oh, then, I will ask another question. How do you know Harry? He doesn’t go to Hogwarts to ward, he is always with the ministry.” 

   “I heard about him through Severus.” He lied, not knowing how to word that Harry liked to show up as Draco’s midnight lover or whatever they were; confusing, that’s what they were. “Yeah, Severus had some nice things to say about him,” which while not a full lie, was more of a white lie, because when he heard of Harry Potter from Severus is was usually in a negative light. Hermione gave a ‘hmm’ before going to ask another question. 

    “Severus isn’t a, vampire is he? I mean, I don’t think he is, but I’m not sure, it took me a little while to know that you were a vampire.” 

    “Oh, no, not Severus. He’s such a prude, doesn’t want to be a vampire. Just wait until he gets super old and then he will wish he had taken an offer.” Mortimer said sighing, “humans, I don’t understand them. I haven’t been one for such a long time. Nearly two centuries in about a decade or a half a decade, something like that. Years aren’t important for a vampire, not really, but I’m sentimental.” 

    “Being human isn’t the best, there are too many emotions, there’s so much stuff to do and never enough time. Humans grow old and die, they wither away, but vampires, they’re beautiful forever.” 

   “You sweet talker.” Mortimer laughed with a grin, “How did Harry get a friend like you?” 

   “The same way his other best friend got a fiancee, he asked and appreciated my knowledge and outlook.” 

   “Oh, you’re engaged. What a pity, I might have had to take you and keep you as beautiful as you are.” Mortimer looked to the clock, it hadn’t been that long, maybe twenty minutes at the most. 

    “Is that an offer?”    
    “Always open to geniuses like yourself. You would be fun to sire. You seem like you could talk about the world for days, and just from a logical standpoint, you would have all the time in the world to explore it. I would even have Sev whip up a kickarse potion to allow you into the sunlight.” 

     “I’ll think about it. I’m honoured that you would offer such an intimate thing.” Hermione flushed and took another drink of her tea now that it had cooled considerably. She hadn’t payed much mind as their conversation had taken off in so many directions to her. She sat and waited for him to say something else when he looked at the clock again.    
    “I think our tea break is over, dear. We should head back, or you should. I think Draco needs his daily half an hour of socialization.” They both laughed and Hermione stood pulling her wand out of her pink and gray jacket. 

    “Well, I will hopefully see you later. Give Severus a half an hour of socialization he needs it, he’s just lonely it seems. I’ll be at Hogwarts tomorrow around one hopefully.” She disapparated back to Hogsmeade and caught a carriage pulled by a thestral, which she could now see. 


	5. Chapter 5

    Mortimer let himself remember how hungry he was. He knocked on Draco’s room and there was no answer. He knocked again with no answer. He tried to open the door but it was charmed shut. He unlocked the door with  _ alohomora _ and walked inside to see Draco sprawled out by the fire. He was practicing a spell but it wouldn’t cast. What was  _ ‘expecto patronum’ _ ? Draco looked back at Mortimer and rolled onto his side holding the wand close to his face. Mortimer moved to sit down by Draco. Now, Draco was an 18 year old boy, he understood him acting childish as he had never had anyone to teach him any differently, but he felt like this was just a little too much, but then he wasn’t actually there. 

   “He petrified me. I tried to attack him.” Draco said with a sigh, “It’s all my fault and now he hates me.” 

   “From where I’m sitting, he’s the one who’s at fault. He must have done something to make you mad.” Mortimer wasn’t one to take responsibility for anything, he didn’t have to grow up that much, he just had to lock his sister up to protect himself, there wasn’t really an attachment, she was crazy though and he was never really loving towards anyone who killed his pets and of course tried to kill him. Nothing was very difficult for Mortimer, except Severus, but that wasn’t too bad, he was definitely getting the other man to warm up to him. Draco on the other hand thought he would never meet anyone as interesting again, nobody as nice and someone who seemed to care about him enough. Mortimer didn’t see it that way, he just thought Harry was venting at Draco (not even venting  _ to _ Draco, he was just talking  _ at _ him). He reached over and tangled his fingers in Draco’s hair before pulling him up to sit up and look at him. Somehow, the elder vampire wanted to just tell Draco that it would be okay, but the other more logical side wanted to let him know that feeling hurt wasn’t good, it wasn’t safe, it was actually quite dangerous. In a state of hurt he could be wounded and destroyed much easier than if he had his mind in the right place, Mortimer should learn to take his own words with more than a grain of salt. 

    “Let go of my hair.” Draco said, transfiguring one of his books into a pair of scissors and chopping off the hair around Mortimer’s hand. Mortimer watched, he was admittedly shocked and he held the heap of Draco’s long white blond hair in his hand and brought his other hand to it and looked up at Draco who brought the scissors down on Mortimer’s leg. Mortimer cried out and picked Draco up and threw him against the wall before pulling the scissors from his leg and throwing his child’s mane to the floor, it’s not like it was that important now. Mortimer ran to Draco while the younger was recovering after hitting the wall so hard, denting the plaster and ruining the green printed wallpaper. Draco was being pulled off the wall and slammed into the ground. Mortimer was over him and he grabbed his wrists and held them down to Draco’s chest. Instead of breathing that was such a habit, Draco wasn’t breathing, he was a real walking corpse. Draco was silent, something that he would use well as it made him stealthier and using less muscles so he could exert energy on more important things. 

    “You need to calm yourself...and apologize, these were nice pants and now they have a hole in them.” Mortimer said. He was trying to get Draco to give up and he was also trying to keep himself in a good mood, reminding himself that his nice pants were ruined was not helping but it seemed to help Draco calm. What had Draco been thinking? He turned his head and his arms went limp. Mortimer continued to hold him and waited it out, his knees on Draco’s thighs to keep him from moving and his hands holding Draco’s wrists. Severus’ loud steps could be heard beating against the stairs as he ran down from his study. He only took that long to respond because he was working with hazardous and extremely poisonous brews and he needed to just let whatever had been happening happen because he couldn’t stand to jeopardize his tincture. 

    When Severus pushed the door opened he was instantly at Draco and Mortimer’s side. He looked down at Mortimer and the vampire just shrugged and released Draco’s hands and then got up, pulling Draco to his feet. 

    “Would you like to explain what was going on in here?”    
    “Oh, nothing.” Mortimer said, “I was just waiting for you to come down here before releasing Draco. He seems to like you and care about you more than he likes me.” Draco just nodded and looked at Severus who looked at Draco with curiosity as to what had happened. When nobody said anything Severus understood. 

    “This is about Potter, is it not? Why does it matter his opinion of you. You’re better than him. I saw that Ms Granger has been over here within the week, she’s much smarter than Mr Potter and no matter how much she irks me, she does seem like a more appropriate friend for you. At least she can help you learn.” 

     “Yes, but she doesn’t...she just…” 

    “She doesn’t smell as good as he does, hmm?” Mortimer frowned and Draco glared at him, Mortimer paid his glares no attention and continued, “Yes, he would taste quite good, but a vampire’s first bite is important, it should be done without any attachment as you can feel the rush of power without any sort of sentimentality. Sentiment, some would say that’s where I went wrong.” Mortimer’s head stared at Draco but his eyes fell on Severus. The potions master just pulled his robe over himself and left the room with a few words about how they should sort this out together, or something about Draco just doing it on his own. Mortimer would like to think that Severus was telling Draco to rely and trust Mortimer with this information but Draco heard the other choice and crossed his arms, much like his godfather, and looked to the door. Mortimer sat down on Draco’s bed. He hadn’t planned on leaving until this whole Harry-Draco bullshit was dealt with. He didn’t like it as much as Draco didn’t like talking about it, but it was what should have been done days previous but never seemed to get done. 

    “So, let’s talk about this.”    
   “No.” Draco sat back down by the fire. He wiped the blood off the scissors and onto his perfectly black robe before returning it to its book form. Mortimer huffed and got into Draco’s bed and fell asleep waiting to talk about it. Draco slept on his chair in the living room. 

 

    Hermione had been up. Ron was sleeping but she knew he would be up soon because Molly was cooking breakfast already and her food always woke him up (or her shrill voice calling him to breakfast at least). Harry was up with Hermione. They were both in the library. Hermione was drinking coffee, for the caffeine and the sharper taste than tea and Harry was just sipping water. He had been getting dehydrated lately as his lips were dry and his fingers were skinnier than usual. She wondered what was wrong with him. They were sitting beside each other in great black leather chairs; a modern update to such a traditional library. Harry was paging through a book and Hermione was doing the same but she was actually reading while when she looked up at Harry it seemed he was rather lost in thought. 

    “What are you thinking about so hard?” Hermione asked, closing the book gently over one of her hands that remained between the pages to mark her place in the text. Harry just shook his head dismissively before he shut his book. It took a moment of silence, it was clear that he was debating on whether to ask or just to leave the question be. 

    “What do you know about vampires?” Harry asked and Hermione had to counter quickly. 

   “Who told you I knew anything out of the ordinary about vampires?” Harry looked at her, quite confused. She was smart, she just knew everything, why would vampires be a subject she didn’t know much about, it wasn’t a particularly odd subject. 

    “Well, I just assumed that you knew. You read more than I do and you just know more stuff than I do.”    
    “Oh.” Hermione laughed anxiously before opening the book and placing a dark blue velvet bookmark where her hand had been holding her place. She shut the book and put it on the large dividing roller desk between the two chairs. She had to push the large lamp over a little to do so though. “Well I know a little more than most regular Hogwarts students. Why?” 

    “I’m just curious. Can I ask you another question?”    
   “I will answer to the best of my ability.” Hermione could hear Molly calling everyone out to eat breakfast, but her and Harry didn’t need to be there on time like always, they could continue their conversation in the privacy of the tall books and mostly silent room. Harry leaned forward though as a habit to keep things between them when they spoke about private things. Hermione was curious if this was about that vampire that had been living with Mortimer, the one that he had heard about. It seemed peculiar that Professor Snape would talk much about Harry, the boy he didn’t hate but didn’t particularly like either, even if it was to complain. She was smarter than that. 

    “So, what does it mean when a vampire tries to...bite you?” 

    “It means they are hungry? Is there any more context to this? A hypothetical?” Hermione would have to know more about the situation. However if Harry did use a hypothetical it wouldn’t be hard to deduce that it was himself he was talking about, actually, Harry didn’t have to do anything for Hermione to know that he was talking about himself. She just wondered which vampire did it. When she thought of a vampire who would want to bite someone, she didn’t think of Mortimer nor Draco, as she knew Mortimer well enough after their discussion over tea and the days she would see him at Hogwarts, trying to fix what Voldemort did to destroy the place. 

    “Well, let’s say that the, er, human and vampire were just talking and then the vampire was like, kissing and licking this human’s neck...I mean, it wasn’t like sexual or weird or anything, they also, yeah they are a boy and a -- girl? -- and well, they just, it was interrupted by another  _ vampire _ and nothing weird happened, but what did it mean. What if this human lied to the vampire who seemed worried about it?” Harry looked nervous and did that nervous “Harry thing” where he rubbed his forehead and then looked at everything but the person he was talking to. Hermione took everything in and thought about it, obviously making Harry more nervous but it was only apparent to people who had grown up with him since they were little because he may have looked stoic (if not a little constipated) to anyone else. 

     “From what I have gathered on vampires,” she started calmly and without hesitation in her voice unlike Harry and his hypothetical, “their first time drinking of human blood is not done until they are ready,” she made air quotes with her fingers by her head when she said ‘ready.’ “It is their sire that allows them and practically forces their child to drink blood and from the vampire the study I read was on, wanted his vampire child to drink from someone they felt indifferent towards. However I have read that vampires are supposed to have a bond with their first donor, or something like that. I suspect that if this vampire is a newer vampire--”    
    “How did you know that he was recently turned into a vampire?” Harry said standing quickly, “Who have  _ you _ been talking to?”    
    “I didn’t say anything about a specific vampire child, I simply told you that in case, it was easier for me to start talking about vampires in the chronological order of their unlife and urges since.” Hermione’s ears got red and Harry pointed like a little kid. 

    “You’re lying.” He got down on his knees in front of Hermione and put his hands on her knees, “Who told you about this, or my  _ problem _ ?”    
    “He’s not a problem. I’ve never met him, but he doesn’t sound all that bad. Let’s just say, I have a friend who may know this vam--”    
    “It’s that bastard Mortimer. Has he been spreading shite around about me to you. I promise whatever he said about you is wrong.” Harry was scared, that was obvious. Hermione laughed which just had Herry more terrified and looking up to her. She reached out and petted his hair in a sisterly caress and display of affection. 

    “Harry, calm down. He hasn’t told me anything about you. He actually said that you hadn’t visited the house, besides the time you went to register the vampires. However, I am sure that this was after your little  _ thing  _ with Draco, at least I think that was his name.” Hermione stood up and pulled Harry to his feet. He held the back of his neck and looked down but Hermione had her hand on his lower back and was moving him along with her. They had a good five minute walk back to the kitchen that they could continue to talk, at least until they were out of the library, but given they were in the back of the library by the extra room that was made for protection purposes and to hide secret things, they had enough time to chitchat for a while longer. 

    “Yeah, he and I got in a fight about a week ago and I don’t think I should apologize but I think he might think it’s my fault that he got angry.” 

    “Well, then, appease him, so he can appease you. Are you hiding from him? You’re not eleven years old and Hermione, you don’t have to be nervous around your little friend.” 

    “He’s most definitely not little. He’s as tall if not taller than Snape.” Harry and Hermione were both snickering at their version of the blond. When they pictured Draco, they both pictured, even Hermione who had only gotten bits of information from Mortimer, a short little runt with a pasty complexion and an entitlement issue and Harry who had seen him and knew he was definitely not that. In fact, he was tall and handsome and really much like Remus at least in frame: weak, ill and too thin. And with Severus’ personality with bit of Moaning Murtle because he was a little emotional but he was also a bit stuck up, but mostly sad like the ghost in the girl’s bathroom even if they didn’t realize it. 

    They continued to chat and when they arrived at the table most of it was gone as Ron was eating a lot and so was Luna and her father. Harry wondered when Xenophilius had gotten there, but he assumed he was out when Luna came over since since the war they were quite joined at the hip. She obviously loved her father and she would always be the precious little weirdo to him, even if he was just as weird. Harry sat down and it was relatively quiet as some people excused themselves. The school was almost rebuilt for the school to hold a second semester specifically for the students who didn’t have a chance to take their NEWTS. So they could go back and learn a bit more. However Neville was going back he was also going to apprenticing to Professor Sprout as the years had taken much out of her especially the war and soon they would need a new Herbology teacher and who was better than the kin hearted Neville Longbottom who loved his plants; really Neville was just a sweet and loving person, a gentle creature who would do well to help teach young wizards about herbology and bravery as when he was needed he stood up and became bigger than anyone had expected, he was a champion. Just what Hogwarts needed in their walls after the disastrous war. Neville had to be excused as he was to meet with Pomona to help clean up and beautify the interior of the Hufflepuff Dorms and common room as well as the kitchen, the greenhouse and the herbology classroom/workshop. He would however have to work with Snape which was quite scary, but he could get over it, even if the Professor had it out for him (and he didn’t know why). 

    Although school didn’t start for another three and a half months, Pomona was first to start cleaning the inside and helping around with the reconstruction (she was quite a loyal and loving woman) she had Neville come to brush up on his Herbology skills as she was going to see if he could handle the first years while she prepared lessons for the ‘Eighth Years.’ Hermione was off to help with the warding and maybe even talking to Mortimer about her little discovery, she asks for Harry’s permission to ask the questions and make vague comments on what had been happening. She thought that maybe Harry saw Mortimer as daft, when he wasn’t, not really. Although she could see why he saw him that way because he was always in his own world, quite self centered and from anything Hermione was learning, she understood that Mortimer was like an eternal ball of angst that was pining after the most emotionless man she ever knew to have existed, besides Voldemort and Fenrir Greyback (she would have added Bellatrix Lestrange but she was a woman and the other Death Eaters weren’t so known by name, but that one bastard that killed Remus, had to be a real piece of work [Antonin Dolohov]). 

    Harry was surprising okay with offering up that he had nothing to do and so he would be out on his own, probably checking in on families, at least that’s what everybody assumed. When Hermione went to see Mortimer at the school, he wasn’t there so she talked with Minerva who was quite enthusiastic about getting the school back up and running and teaching the posterity. She didn’t expect to see Snape there with a meaner than usual scowl and a rushed glare and then a swift entrance into the school leaving behind the curious Hermione. Since she was who she was, she followed. Light on her feet and with the ever inquisitive and curious mind guiding her actions. Severus walked down towards the dungeons and she followed him. Snape slammed the door and Hermione bounded after him. When she held her head to the door it was quiet and when she tried to open the door it was locked. It was locked magically and she decided to wait it out to see what was going on. 

 

    Draco was outside, he had a broom and Mortimer had been outside trying to instruct him but as soon as Draco got on the broom he was off and he was laughing. The feeling of flying, the freedom it represented, it was great. He came back after about twenty minutes, after Mortimer had taken a seat in the shade and decided to pout. He came back and landed and that’s when both of their heads snapped. Someone was at the front door. Draco was there first but Mortimer had let him go. It had been a week since Draco had talked to anyone, and Draco didn’t want nor did he need to develop a social phobia. He just needed to talk to people and relax. If only he would get the feeding off of his chest, but that’s why there were people at the door. 

    When Draco pulled the door open, four people all dressed with big hats and veils covering their heads were standing on the porch. Draco wanted to just close the door, he didn’t want  _ those _ people with him, he wanted someone else, a certain someone so he could apologize, but he hadn’t been by. He had really messed up, he thought. Mortimer took over the situation moving Draco to the side gingerly before letting the people inside the house where their veils shrinked and turned into headbands. Charmed accessories, that’s great, Draco thought going to the sitting room where he was sure that Mortimer was going to make him socialize. The four people sat down, there were two boys and two girls. One of the boys was feminine with long hair a little like Mortimer and the other was shorter with short brown hair, a little like Harry. The girls were more like Hermione and then one with very long, nearly knee length black hair that reflected the light. She had beautiful monolids and plump pink lips. Of course, Mortimer had already  _ claimed _ the one(s) that he wanted to drink from. These were some of his more regular donors. There was Derek, the one that looked like Harry, Jillian the one with big brown hair that was frizzy and a heart shaped face, the beautiful Korean girl Kim Yoo-Jung, and the lavishly Lestat-like man, humorously he went by the name Louis. Mortimer had made the joke to be Louis’ ‘Armand’ but Louis was too shocked that Mortimer had taken the time to read vampire fiction to pay the comment much attention; then it had digressed into feeding time and then their separation after feeding. 

    By the look Draco was giving Derek, then Mortimer was sure what three cuties he would be taking for himself. The spread out around the sitting room.    
    “Louis, Yoo-Jung, Jillian,” Mortimer said as the three stood and went to him. “Draco is my child, he has never tasted human blood, let’s let him have Derek, he has quite an eye for him. Would you like to accompany me to my room?” Mortimer had giggled responses. Most human donors were donors because they needed the drug that came from a vampire bite, or they were hired by big wizarding companies and sort of prostituted out, but with less sex, unless the donor employee wanted to have sex then it wasn’t a big deal. For example, Jillian didn’t have sex, she was barely legal and that just meant fresh blood and she was cute and fun to talk too because she was so ‘in’ with the times. She made Mortimer feel old but in the good way as he had seen many decades and years passed and he got to experience all of it. Derek moved to sit beside Draco and he sat very straight, rigid almost and inhumanly regal. Mortimer had his arms around Louis and Yoo-Jung and Jillian was sitting behind him, her arms wrapped around his neck as her chin rested against his head. She smiled, he liked when he could indulge with all of his favourite humans, not just because he got to gorge himself but because they were nice company and being a vampire was so lonely usually, feeding was more of a social act than anything nowadays, but some vampires had still prefered to just take from unwilling humans or in private where they couldn’t be found. It was awkward and just so traditional, it was tasteless. 

    Mortimer whispered to Yoo-Jung to come closer so he could show Draco how a vampire bit someone and she moved to settle herself on her lap so that he could access her pulse point better. Draco watched and Derek imitated her and got closer to Draco who, not knowing where to put his hands, held onto Derek’s waist. Mortimer made quite a display of Yoo-Jung, he pushed her hair back with a gentle movement of his hand and embraced her before lavishing her neck in care and kisses before he let his fangs drop and then biting into her. She was mostly quiet but sometimes noises slipped out like a heavy breath or a quiet moan when the fangs penetrated the flesh. Mortimer drank from her and then pulled back, not wanting to not give everyone of his people a chance. They all turned to Draco who had his eyebrows drawn together. He did similar to Derek, trying to establish a soft and intimate setting but he wasn’t really feeling it. Then there was a knock at the door and before anyone could do anything Draco was already there and pulling the door open. Nobody could see who was at the door from the sitting room though. 

    Draco pulled the door open, he was nervous and then it was Harry.    
    “Hey, I’m sorry I said that stuff the other da-- whoa.” Harry was jumped on and held down while Draco closed his eyes and kissed his cheek, kissed his neck, kissed the skin over his jugular and bit down. Harry let out a startled gasp before he felt the pleasure rushing through him as his blood pumped the saliva through his veins. Harry let out a half moan as he was being crushed by Draco’s jaw and strong hold on him. Mortimer had to excuse himself after he didn’t know what Draco was doing and he found them and he tried to get Draco off of Harry but Draco pushed him away. The donors came in nervously and saw Mortimer trying to pry Draco off of Harry and they started talking. Draco was drinking from the famous Harry Potter.  _ The _ Harry Potter was being feasted on by a vampire that had only been existing for a couple months. Mortimer grouped the humans and tried to explain what had happened but they all felt more comfortable if next time they stay away from Draco who ‘was still too young to not be impulsive’ and they quickly apparated outside to get their brooms and go back home or to the bar or wherever they spent their time. Mortimer didn’t know, it wasn’t like they gave up their addresses to have tea and bake cookies together. Which gave the idea to call Hermione, but better yet, another person at the school, Severus. He would know what to do and what to do to help Harry after Draco was done. He just hoped Draco didn’t kill anybody because that would be bad. 

    Mortimer sent an owl to Hogwarts and to Severus and soon he should be there. Severus had fast owls, probably because he gave them like crazy potions or something, Mortimer thought childishly. When he returned to the foyer, Draco and Harry were gone. Draco had taken Harry away to put him down in the guest room. Winky had been sure to turn down the bed and keep it tidy in case they had guests, no matter how uncommon that was, so there was a nice bed for him. Draco avoided Mortimer and went straight to his room and the bathroom where he locked the door and turned on the bath. 

    Severus had arrived quickly, he knew he had been trailed by the Know-It-All and he promptly ignored her, he couldn’t waste time while Draco could have killed the wizarding world’s golden boy. They would definitely put him away or execute him. When Severus walked into the sitting room of his home he was greeted by Mortimer who was just resting on the couch. 

    “Where is he?”    
    “Guest room.” Mortimer said, “But he’s taking care of him. Our child made a potion in your absence and started to help the Chosen One recover. You should check on him. Maybe give him a blood restoring potion.” Severus was already halfway there by the time Mortimer ended his sentence and he wondered why he even bothered to inform the potions master. For someone with such control over everything, he was very bad when he was out of control or trying to control a situation. Draco was sitting on the floor in the guest room with a book in his hands. There was a liveliness to him, pink cheeks and vibrant eyes. He looked alive, more alive than Severus had seen him even when he was alive. Harry was sleeping and when Severus walked inside the room the first thing he did was go to the bed to check the wound, but it had closed and disappeared mostly, except for the small puncture scars that were white against his slightly tanned skin. Somebody would notice, Severus thought, but then he remembered who Potter was spending most of his time with. Stupid Weasleys. He stopped worrying and since Hermione had been getting friendly with Mortimer, he was sure that the only person who really would care would be Hermione and Harry. Severus was sure that Mortimer would be able to calm and explain to Hermione something logical, the girl thrived on logic. Mortimer had been quite taken by her, he wondered why, but it wasn’t a curiosity that was blinding him from the current issue. 

    “What potions has he had?” 

    “A blood replenishing potion and a nutritional brew that I made. I gave him a little bit of my blood to ease any pain but Mortimer said that it was also a good idea to help him heal quicker.” Severus almost struck Draco but he caught himself as he walked to the vampire bou. Draco looked up at him and Severus realized that Draco had cut his hair shorter, neater than the zig-zag cut he had given himself when he fought with Mortimer.    
    “Draco, do you understand the consequences of giving your blood to humans? Do you understand what could happen to that human?” 

    “Maybe I want him addicted to me.” Draco said as if it was the easiest thing to say and to accomplish. Draco stood up and looked into Severus’ dark eyes and he turned his head with a smile, “I feel much stronger, better. Like I could take on the world, and I like the feeling. I don’t think I want to taste anything less that what  _ he  _ has to offer.”    
    “And what if he doesn’t want to be your pet donor?” 

    “Then I will keep him, like I was kept, with nicer things and luxuries of course, but I will isolate him so he only knows of me.”    
    Severus’ nose flared and he went to the bed and picked Harry up and apparated. Draco would have followed him but he didn’t know where his parent had gone. Draco kicked the bed post and stormed out of the room. He grabbed Harry’s wand that he had stashed away from the wizard and looked at it and kept it, with it Harry would have to return for it. Mortimer had left as well and he was sure that Severus had said something or done something to him but he hadn’t heard anything being said. He was all alone in his house, this manor, this place that Severus kept him away from people. He wanted to go out, he may not like people but he was sure feeling great and sociable. He wanted to interact and let people know that he was stronger than them, that he could do things, great things with his powers, no matter how wrong or right those things were. However when he tried to leave the house he was forced back and he flew in the air and landed on his rear. He tried again but realized that he was stuck in the house due to silly charms. He went to find his books so he could cast the proper counter curse and get out of the mansion. 


	6. Chapter 6

    Mortimer had come out of Severus’ office and startled Hermione who had been waiting. He smiled and laughed, something so alluring about her. He wanted whatever it was that was so enticing. 

    “Hermione, I have some news. It’s about Harry.” He said, motioning for Hermione to follow him into Severus’ office. She walked inside and Mortimer shut the door. This office was quite nice, and left undisturbed during the war since it was far down in the dungeons. The fighting Death Eaters had to fight above ground and the ones who stayed down in the office eventually used the floo to escape, but they couldn’t get back in now with the wards and the new charms that surrounded the place. Hermione took a seat on the chair that was burned in some places by what was probably potions and the stray ingredient that got loose and decided to wreak a little havoc. The walls had scorch marks but it was stone and it was cold. All of the stones looked damp, like there was a constant trickle of water running over the gray rocks that made up the dungeon. Mortimer pulled up the rather modern desk chair up to sit closer to Hermione. 

    “So, Harry came over to our home, uninvited. He was greeted by Draco at the door and Draco bit him. He’s going to be fine, but I figured I would tell you since I felt like you would be the only one to recognize the bite mark scar on his neck. Draco is...well he is a little thrilled with the rush of power, nothing he won’t get over in a few hours. He will likely regret what he did.”    
    “Well, if Harry is fine and Draco will feel bad for hurting him then it’s all fine. However, why was Draco so ready to bite him?”    
    “Today he was supposed to take from his first donor, One of my personal donors, I won’t give out his name, was about to be bitten but Harry interrupted. I’m sure Draco was just ready to bite and when he saw Harry he felt an urge and attacked. He will learn how to control that part of himself.”    
   “Well…” Hermione stopped and Mortimer silently inhaled her scent.    
    “Do you mind if I smell you?” Mortimer asked his question with indifference, as if he was being normal when asking to smell someone really wasn’t normal.    
   “Er, sure. I took a shower this morning, I used my fiance’s shampoo because my favourite shampoo was gone. I don’t have enough to buy my own again until I get a job. Most of my money went into the rebuilding of Hogwarts.” 

    “No, no, it’s not shampoo.” Mortimer said moving to hold Hermione’s cheek and scenting her neck. He sat back.    
   “Who were your parents?” 

   “Oh, they are known by Monica and Wendell Wilkins. I had to protect them after the war. Sadly they don’t even remember me, their daughter.” Hermione grew a little sad, she didn’t like to think much about her parents anymore. Mortimer however had a different idea. 

   “Are any of them related to Eileen Prince?”    
   “Oh no, that’s a pureblood family, I think. My parents were muggles.” She said putting her hand over her heart, “Can we not talk about this anymore? It makes me uncomfortable, it’s a touchy subject for me.”    
    “Of course. Well, I could take you out for tea at an actual cafe or we could go to lunch. I could use some human food, or we could part ways. I have relayed the necessary information to you that you needed. I could take you to your home, Grimmauld place, I think I heard someone say.” Mortimer stood up and Hermione also stood and she walked to the door opening it and Mortimer followed her. He leaned against the door frame and Hermione lifted one foot onto the steps. 

    “In twenty minutes you can come over to Twelve Grimmauld Place, I will have something good cooked or Molly will be making it anyway.” Hermione smiled and disapparated back home. Mortimer just loved how she was straight to the point and then tapered off into kindness. She was so interesting and Mortimer was very taken with her. In twenty minutes he did floo to the place she said and when he stood up, he looked around at all the redheads and wondered if he had gone to the right place, but he did remember Severus insulting the ‘copper clan’ probably called that due to their bright orange hair. Hermione rushed out from a different room and grabbed his hand. One of the red heads shifted. He smiled, he didn’t know how to talk to them, with their unyielding eyes and judgement, it was like they saw him as a vampire and they were going to try and stake him or something. 

    “This is Mortimer, he will be joining us for lunch today.” Hermione said, “Come on, I’ll show you the library, I feel like you will really like it.” 

    Severus walked down from the stairs that lead to Harry’s room and Molly followed him out nervously, the Weasleys stared at him and then he noticed Mortimer. 

   “Mortimer, what are you doing here?” Severus asked and Mortimer smiled at him wolfishly before Hermione moved to stand in front of him. 

    “He is joining us for lunch today. You are welcome to stay as well. Since nobody else will say it, I will. Thank you for bringing Harry home. He was lucky to have you there.” She narrowed her eyes and Severus nodded, he understood that she had been informed as to what happened and Mortimer stood behind the shorter girl. He was pulling his long black hair back with his hand before using his wand to tie it up, out of his face.    
    “I will have to decline your offer, but I thank you for inviting me. I have someone who needs attention, and since there is nobody else there, I will have to do it myself. Mortimer, please have an  _ excellent _ time. Goodbye Ms Granger.” Severus walked to left to get to the floo, he had to go back and deal with Draco all alone. Molly said something along the lines of ‘good riddance’ and then she welcomed Mortimer who stood awkwardly. 

    “Hermione, who is your friend? He’s quite the handsome gentleman isn’t he?” She laughed, knowing that Hermione was with Ron and that it pleased her that she now knew that her son wasn’t ‘ruining’ or what she would call, disrupting, the purity and status as one of the remaining pureblood families. Once again, she would never admit to anyone or even to herself that she actually cared about it, she thought herself as simply too nice to care about such silly things, especially with her husband who devoted his life to muggles and their customs.    
   “This is Mortimer. Remember our conversation a week or so ago about Severus and his friend who were helping to rebuild Hogwarts, he is the friend of Severus we were talking about.” Hermione smiled sweetly, obviously quite taken by her much older friend. Molly’s smile faded but she forced it back into place. She didn’t like Hermione hanging around people like Severus, especially not after her discovery of Hermione’s lineage. She was sure Harry would be thrilled to hear about it, but there was another part of her parentage that may disappoint some of the people who stayed in Harry’s home. 

    “Well, hello Mortimer, I’m Molly Weasley.” The red haired woman reached out to shake his hand and Mortimer bent down to kiss her knuckles and pull back up. 

   “How lovely to meet you.” He was lying, there was something the woman before him wasn’t telling them. He saw that lapse in happiness and for her to continue to smile was not just an act but it was part of her that she had often put up, that’s why she was so good at seeming fine and happy even though she didn’t approve. She swallowed hard caused by her own nervousness before she excused herself to check on her sons and the rest of the people occupying the home. Mortimer and Hermione continued on their way to the library. Once in the very back of the library, Hermione took a seat and Mortimer took the seat that Harry normally sat in. 

    “So, Severus seemed annoyed that you weren’t watching Draco.” Hermione started and Mortimer sighed, resting back against the chair. The chairs were more modern than the ones that Severus kept in his sitting room and library. In fact most of Severus’ house was old fashioned with poster beds, the one in his medium sized room being the smallest bed and Draco’s being the largest due to the room he chose being the largest master bedroom, wooden caquetoire and wainscot chairs or worn leather chairs with feathers and ancient padding, much like Draco’s wingback emerald chesterfield chair he commonly occupies.

    “He’s annoyed by everything I do. I don’t try much to get on his good side anymore, I don’t think it even exists now. He was so -- soft, when he was younger.” Mortimer would reminisce but he didn’t, he couldn’t while in the company with his second favourite company-human, or friend that was human. 

    “So how long have you known Snape -- I mean Severus?”    
   “Twenty years, but we hadn’t spoken or sought each other out for seventeen. Still I’m really more of a burden serving the purpose of teaching and helping him raise Draco.” Mortimer nodded to himself and opened his mouth to continue talking but before he said anything he shut it and just looked to Hermione who was obviously taking in his words and doing math. 

   “How old is Severus?”    
   “Thirty-Eight, almost forty, he’s getting so old.” Mortimer just wanted Severus to stay young and beautiful, virile and he wished his hardest he could make him happy again, if the man was ever truly happy. “You don’t know the sadness of growing old yet, Hermione, you’re still so young and beautiful.” He let out a sigh and Hermione laughed at him. 

    “Vampires and their beauty. What a walking stereotype Morty.” She said and Mortimer raised an eyebrow, did she just call him ‘Morty’?    
    “Morty?” She just laughed a little bit more, her laughs were sweet and she held her hand over her mouth self consciously. Mortimer wanted to pull her hand away so he could see her smile, but he didn’t. He smiled so often but he rarely felt things that demanded an earnest smile. He just had an appearance. Look dumb so people don’t count on you, be intimidating when necessary and always be stronger than your opponent, there was never room for failure unless it was a calculated and factored failure. Sort of like bringing Derek, a man who looked similar to the object of Draco’s desire. However Harry actually showing up was quite a failure that wasn’t foreseen it would work to his advantaged somehow, he knew it. Befriending Hermione would even benefit him, if not in the long run, she made him happy in the short term and he wanted to be happy. He liked being happy.    
    “Mortimer is such a long name. I could continue to call you by your full name but it feels so formal. Unless you would like to remain formal friends than we can call each other by shorter names. You can be Morty and I could be ‘Mione. It’s what my other friends call me. You are no different.”    
    “I’m sure your friends are centuries old. I was around while people still thought the world was flat, and that the America’s didn’t exist. I lived in America, that is where I was born, in the northern part of what is now the United States.” Mortimer started. “I’m sure that’s how we differ, but if you would prefer we go by nicknames, we shall...Mione.” The corner of his mouth raised slightly before dropping. Hermione nodded and relaxed back in her chair. Her vibrant brown curls and kinks of her hair were quite nice and they framed her face as if she were a lion. She was sure strong enough, independent enough and brave enough. He had heard Severus refer to her as a ‘know-it-all Gryffindor’ so the description is not unlike her. Quite too close to her personality, although Mortimer would have had her in Ravenclaw, but he also knew that unlike Ravenclaws she cared deeply about other people and their success, not just her own. She wasn’t even slightly selfish, she was selfless and it was such a redeeming quality, a good one to have.

    “Hermione.” Ron started, walking into the library. 

   “Yes?” She replied, standing up and putting one finger up to let Mortimer know she would be back. 

   “Is your creepy friend still in here with you or did he leave?” He whispered when she approached him halfway through the library, they stood in the middle of the room  now, and Mortimer could hear his whispers. 

    “Yes, he is still here. What do you need to talk about?”    
    “This can wait.” He said defensively. If someone else was there, then they didn’t need to air any dirty laundry. 

   “You can tell me, he can’t hear, he’s halfway across the room.” Hermione said, walking Ron to the front of the room so she was sure that Mortimer couldn’t hear. If Ron said it was important then it was important and should probably be discussed alone. 

    “Mione,” he took a deep breath, “I had  _ nothing _ to do with this, but apparently mum was looking into you.” This made Hermione nervous, there was only so little that she hadn’t let the Weasleys know, what did they ‘look into’.    
    “Like what?” 

   “Like your parentage and lineage.” He replied and she was very nervous. They knew her parents were muggles, and why did that matter to the loving Weasleys? Arthur worked with muggles, they had conversed with her parents during her second year and Arthur visited when he wasn’t busy at the ministry. Hermione nodded, letting know that Ron could continue. “Well, she doesn’t think that your parents are your real parents.” Ron sort of motioned with his hands to show Hermione what he was talking about rather than coming up with the right words. He felt like he should be the one to break the news to her since he was her significant other and he knew most about her, beside Harry. 

    “You’re adopted by your muggle parents. Your blood, your DNA is actually related more to well, pure blooded families.” Hermione giggled and then frowned when Ron looked at her with nervousness. 

    “You’re kidding, right? No, there’s a picture of my mum holding me as a baby. I look like them.”    
    “Not really, Mione, your muggle family did have another daughter before you but she died due to complications with her lungs, they weren’t fully developed and collapsed. My mum has all the records. I don’t know how she got them but she has them. There’s only certain bloodline that you could have come from. One is the Prince family, and the other is the Black family. Mum had your hair magically tested too-- I’m so sorry. I don’t know why it happened, it wasn’t fair. I don’t know why she cared--” He would have continued to apologize but Hermione shook her head. 

    “Don’t worry about it, Ronnie kins,” she said, “I’m just, I’m going to skip lunch. I’m going to go tell Mortimer that something came up. You can go back out to your mum.” Her voice cracked when she said ‘mum’ and when Ron tried to wrap his arms around her he was met with her wand pressed to his chest. “Don’t make me do something. Leave me alone. I just, need space to process that your mum is a dumb witch who thought it was okay to tell you something that would throw my entire life into a loop. Please, excuse me.” Hermione tucked her wand away jogging towards the back of the room where Mortimer sat, he heard pieces when Ron had gotten a little louder and the last part when Hermione made her voice louder to hide the fact that she was going to cry. He was actually standing and he wanted to help, but didn’t know how. He hadn’t felt human emotions for so long, especially not real sadness. 

    “Hermione,” Mortimer said, “If you need space, know that my house is always open. Just owl me...I’ll be on my way then, unless you want help with something.” He tried to sound sympathetic but he hadn’t know his parents, he didn’t understand the connection that one could have with them. He had an entire tribe raise him and his sister.  Hermione nodded and Mortimer disapparated. Hermione brushed past everyone and went to her room to pack up some of her things. She just needed a little time to think about how she would approach this problem, just like she needed time to figure out how to approach all problems. Time and a logical perspective, not allowing her emotions to play into her factors, however this was going to be harder to do since it was an extremely emotional reaction that was demanding her to seek time alone. Nobody spoke to her and she didn’t come back down the stairs. They ate their meal quietly and Ron left halfway through to check on Hermione, but she was gone as was most of her things. A ring, the one that Ron had given her, that had been his mother’s, resting by one of her favourite books, one about dreams and plans for the future (even though it was mostly the ‘American Dream’),  _ The Great Gatsby _ . 

 

    Hermione arrived at Hogwarts after apparating to Hogsmeade and taking a thestral to Hogwarts, just outside in the forest. She walked up to greet the people. She let on that she wasn’t angry or very hurt and feeling betrayed and invaded. She went to Minerva who welcomed her. 

    “You are carrying a suitcase? Is this some new trend?” She asked, not knowing that anything was wrong but then Hermione’s facade faulted and Minerva whisked the former Gryffindor away, into the school and into an abandoned classroom. “My, what’s wrong, dear?”    
    “I feel so betrayed, I need to get away from the Weasleys, they looked into my lineage, my parents, they just shattered my entire life. I didn’t even let Ron finish what he was going to say, I just, I’m adopted apparently, and Molly was okay with looking into my blood and testing my hair and, that’s so unlike her. Why does she care?”    
    “I’m sure she cares a little more about blood than she lets on, no matter if she was a Gryffindor, the status of blood can still be important to people. It’s not that they meant to hurt you, they probably didn’t realize the effect it would have on you. She was probably just curious,” she paused. She understood that it was hard for someone to learn something about family, especially if it was disrupting to your entire life and what you have believed in. People who had never been told or had someone betray something that personal or have had someone make them question their entire life, their beliefs, their love, everything about their childhood wouldn’t understand why it was so difficult for Hermione to comprehend and understand what Minerva was saying. Minerva had never experienced it either, she had a handful of children who had been in her house and under her care come to her about their concerns about things like this before though, so she wasn’t completely blindsided by this development of Hermione, she had suspected something like this upon seeing her with her parents in Diagon Alley a few times, when she brought them. Hermione had a darker skin tone while her parents were much more olive and they both had green eyes and straight hair while Hermione had a beautiful kinky mess of curls and big brown eyes, like chocolate covered chestnuts. 

    “What do you need from me, my dear? I’m assuming you will need a place to stay. You are welcome into my home, just know that you will have to help me clean, I’m aging quite fast it seems, as only yesterday I was a first year here, but even though with magic I can clean, I need help deep cleaning my home. I usually do it once a year and since it’s almost November and that means it’s coming close to the holidays, I feel like I should clean up. I may be old but I do enjoy company over the holidays. This year will be hard, as many of my friends...many of my friends have passed.” Minerva got caught up in herself and this time Hermione reached out to comfort her. Soon she was up again. She tucked her wand away and clapped her old veiny hands together. “Well, I’m done here I guess, hold onto me while I apparate home. I hope that you like it. Be warned, it’s very old.” McGonagall drew her wand again and apparated them to her home. 

    Minerva’s home was an old medium sized manor, there were tall windows along the second floor and a third floor which looked like part of the attic from the outside with dormer windows. Then along the wrap around porch there were tall carved pillars with voluptuous carvings curving like a well endowed woman’s body. It was very pretty but it showed it’s age as there were old faded red (light pink) bricks along the bottom of the house and some along the tall circular attached side tower with windows and lacey white and lavender curtains. The paint was white but it was faded, and unpainted oak wood was apparent in it’s frame and exterior. It looked very old, like Minerva, and like Minerva it also a wise and humble place. Minerva lead her through the door, they passed the hanging vines, Minerva commented as Hermione touched a few petals, “Betty Corning flowers” she had said and Hermione followed her inside the house. Hermione wanted to know when Minerva had time to clean but she was sure that it was either over a few weeks during winter vacation or during the summer, it seems like the home was pretty cleaned, and it had been used for at least a few months. Hermione didn’t know that Minerva used this home as her get away and even most summers she stayed at the school. This was like her giant woman cave with everything to keep her busy and her books, all of her books were there, at least the dirty ones that she liked to read curled up on her plum tinted white chaise with a cup of tea and a record on, likely the Rolling Stones (She was old but she liked good music) or even though she did enjoy parlor music and classical orchestras, but they didn’t make her old, she was sure many kids were listening to it too.    
    She however, was never worried about her age, nor did she try to be young, it just made things seem easier when she thought of herself as young. Unlike some women being old just meant that she had more knowledge and that was a great thing, nothing to be ashamed of or try to hide with glamours and magic or makeup. 

    Hermione stood in the middle of the parlor and held her suitcase with both hands in front of her. She had a pair of jeans on and a zipped up oversized olive hoodie. She thought she could have been seen so much younger if she was shorter and maybe with a chubbier face and a skirt. That was her idea of cute, Luna was cute, Ginny was cute, Molly was adorable...she remembered what Molly had done, she had forgot while she was so curious of Minerva’s home, she had been adoring everything her eyes could reach, but then it hit her. The betrayal, the loss of trust, the sadness that followed; which was then followed by thoughts of Ron, would he be suitable for her, more importantly could she rely on him as a lover and not just a friend. They were brothers and sisters in arms, always, they went through a war together, they had a special bond that they shared with Harry, that was it, it was those three who shared it and it was special, very special to her. She thought she loved both of them, was choosing Ron going to make Harry feel left out. What was going to happen? Harry had that new boy, the one that...the one that bit him. She sighed and Minerva took her to the room she could stay in. It was much different than the rest of the house which was white and pastel colours and lace. It was still pastel but they were colours she hadn’t seen previously. The room was gainsboro grey coloured and baby blue, which white bedding with no lace trimming, it was just very simple. There was a white bergere chair accented with blue mahoe. It was very nice and it looked good with the room, Hermione put her things down on the bed.    
    “Thank you.” She was sincere and she only got a raised hand in response. Minerva had a raised a hand, palm facing forward at Hermione.    
   “No, no, it will be a pleasure to have you here.”    
    That started the few months that they would be living together. 

Later that night, she sends an owl of Minerva’s to Harry. Harry received the letter. He was being nursed like a baby by Molly even though everyone else said he would be fine. Molly was saying unnecessary things about how some ‘mean old monster’  _ attacked _ him and how he needed to be executed if he wasn’t able to interact with humans without killing or harming them. Harry didn’t say anything about the small advances that the he and the vampire had been sharing as they creeped closer and closer until Draco broke during an interrupted feeding session. It had been contained. Harry just felt like an idiot, an idiot with a headache and a craving to eat ice. The owl perched itself on the window sill and Molly got it even though Harry was up and ready to get it himself. She looked at the name and was almost not going to give Harry the letter out of her own shame and disappointment in herself for making such a horrible choice and mistake. She hadn’t meant for Hermione to leave, she just was curious but she understood (if just only a little bit) why Hermione left. She handed the letter to Harry and went to make something with lots of iron in it, even though Harry was fine and hardly anemic, just enough for someone to bring him some damn ice! He walked to his desk in his study and opened the letter. 

_     Dear Harry,  _

_     I’m sure when you wake up/if you’re awake, then you are curious of my absence. I am not there due some bad news that was delivered to me by Ron. Don’t ask him about it, just be there if he is upset, nothing is his fault and I will send him an owl come morning.  _

_     I would like to see you to tell what has happened in person, I don’t want nosy people to read this letter, so be sure to burn it after you read it. But until then I would like to talk to you about Draco. He hasn’t mistreated you until he bit you, right? I am just curious as to his intentions. Mortimer has mentioned that vampires try to mark people as theirs so that they can keep them, he didn’t elaborate on how the humans were kept but he sounded as if it was something disgraceful but if Draco is new then maybe he doesn’t know. It could have been an instinct thing. I will owl Mortimer and see if he would like to visit with me at the Hog’s Head, maybe you could join.  _

    Hermione sure was learning a lot about vampires from Mortimer, the only real question was if he was telling her the truth and if he was, why was he doing it? Was it something to do with this big issue that had made her leave the house? He figured she would explain it like she always did. 

_     I am safe, I am staying with Professor McGonagall, she was kind enough to let me stay at her home. Although I suppose I didn’t give her much choice. I didn’t want to go with Mortimer because what if it wasn’t safe there and what if my newfound bloodlines clashed with theirs and we somehow got in a fight? I wouldn’t want Mortimer to be blamed for that, he’s such a loving soul. Do treat him kindly if he goes to the house looking for me, although I doubt he would come without an owl being sent or permission, he is also very respectful, it must be an elderly response, or maybe other people are just more behaved than us young folk. That was a joke, I hoped you laughed, you need laughter. I bet Mrs. Weasley is annoying you and treating you like an infant right now and I don’t envy your position at all.  _ _   
_ _     So, reply to me when you can and we can talk more about where we could meet. I will be at Hogwarts tomorrow to help rebuild and to help replant plants and flowers as well as welcome back some of our friendlier magical creatures in the forest. Of course, we have the spring term coming up and it is specifically designed for all of the ‘eighth’ year students and us only so it will be fun, we’ll have the whole castle to ourselves. Maybe we can check out the other common rooms. Anyway, I’m besides myself. Have a good night, morning or day (all depending on when you wake up/get this letter).  _

_     With love and friendship,  _

_ Ms Hermione Granger.  _

    So that didn’t explain much to Harry but he wasn’t a complete dunderhead, he understood that there was something going on with blood, or else she wouldn’t have mentioned it being a problem. It had never been a problem before. He decided to spend his night, since he was so awake from potions and sleeping all day, to look into bloodlines, maybe he would find something. 

   There were too many things going on with blood. Was that the new theme of his life? Harry shook his head, hopefully not -- unless he got something out of it. He laughed before silencing himself. That was a very un-Gryffindor way of thinking, he scolded himself as he stood and got some books and copies of the Black Family Tree along with others from the ‘Sacred Twenty-Eight.’ While he was resting, Ron was with George. George was getting better, he started talking, he was nervous about Ron and the way Hermione didn’t come back. They were strong, they proved they could be strong no matter how young, they had been through so much, and George didn’t go through half of it and he felt worse than all of them, he thought. Ron blathered on about Hermione and how it wasn’t his fault that mum was a ‘bint’ sometimes, he quickly apologized to the heavens for saying mean things about his mum but then he would do it again and it was a pattern that George was the subject to listen to. Ginny was worried about Harry too and she brought Harry some ice while he whined loudly about how all he wanted was some ice and a potion to get rid of his headache. Since none of them were any good at potions and it was so dark and cold that no shop would be open at that time, she brought him a glass of ice, long thin pieces of ice, the best kind for biting. Not white ice where it had all the air bubbles or minerals, but clear sheets of ice that were delicious and just had an overall better taste. He thanked her and she kissed the top of his head as he was sitting and ran off in her own way. When Molly came into the room she had a plate of liver and onions. She wanted Harry to remain her ‘healthy little boy’ although he was nearly nineteen. He bit into his ice and Molly looked at the diagrams of families. She smiled hesitantly and saw the half opened letter, plus she had handed him the letter from Hermione. 

   “Hermione told you she was a Black?” 

   “What? She is? That can’t be. She just mentioned something about bad blood between her family and the people residing at the Snape residence…” He stopped to think of how stupid he sounded. “Oh,” he finished. He looked at the greasy plate of liver and onions. It looked like a heap of brown goo with some transparent baby jellyfish that were onions. Whole baby onions.    
    “She’s a Black and muggle?”    
   “No, she’s a Black and a Prince. She however, when Ron told her how I...I betrayed her trust she left. Oh Harry, it’s all my fault. I’m so stupid.” She said almost crying before turning away and dusting her hands off the apron tied around her waist. She composed herself. “I will talk about this with Arthur, I don’t want anyone to think too much differently of me, I’m ashamed of what I did and when Hermione comes back I will beg for her forgiveness even though I feel like some parts of me don’t deserve her kindness. Eat up, it is good for you blood.” She walked out of the study and when he heard her footsteps go silent he turned to look through to the Prince family. There was no Prince in the Sacred Twenty-Eight, so why was that name sound so regal like it should be? He looked up the last known members of the family, Eileen and Abraham Prince, siblings. Eileen married a muggle and had a son. In the margin of the book in smudged handwriting similar to Sirius’ was ‘Snivellus’ mum, his dumb mum and his dumb uncle.’ Sirius had been a tosser sometimes, he just needed to lay off poor Sniv-- Severus. No wonder he had hated him and his father along with the other Marauders, they were horrible to him, well not Harry but it was his father’s fault he was disliked. Abraham had no real anything written with him but when he turned to the last page, there was fancy writing, definitely not Sirius’. 

_ Abraham Prince was killed due to his affair with unknown persons and the cause of a bastard child _ . Harry looked at it a couple of times and looked at the Black family tree and he looked over all the named, but if Abraham was killed due to having a child, he should have been looking at someone burned off the tree. He read the names of the burnt names and looked in the Black records. One married a ‘blood traitor’ Weasley and was burned off, another was Sirius, another burned for giving Sirius’ money after he had been burned off the tree, then Andromeda who married outside of the pure blood lines. There was another in the corner, Walburga Black’s father, Pollux Black’s sister, Cassiopeia Black who was burned for also marrying a ‘blood traitor’. She had died with Abraham by the Cruciatus curse from the death eaters, but were faked being alive as to not upset any of the other families who were potential mates to the family of Black, as they were murdered by Walburga Black, Cassiopeia’s niece when she was a young child and due to Pollux’s zealousness to teach her the Dark Arts. Harry had just found out who Hermione’s parents were. He thought, no, he knew it. Abraham had the darker skin on his mother’s side of the family and Cassiopeia had beautiful brown eyes and really a smile that made everyone around her seem happy, at least she smiled in the picture around her frowning brother and sisters. Harry wrote down some information on a small pad of paper and then he put the books back before he sat down to eat his food. It would be a waste to let it get cold and not eat it but he really didn’t need it. He cut a piece of soft liver with his fork and took a bite. It tasted like liver: blood and dense sponge. It was pleasant when it was warmer but he didn’t heat it up. He just ate it. Half way through he realized he really liked the dish and he ate it quicker which just gave him a stomach ache. He took the plate to the kitchen and started to write a letter back to hermione. He was sure the owls around the house, although not Hedwig, could probably deliver at this hour or at whatever time that Harry would be done with the letter. 

    Draco was in the house, he had been strapped down to a chair and watched by Mortimer who was hating his duty. Severus was reading and finally Mortimer moved to sit beside Severus. Draco’s glaring eyes opened slightly to make sure he was seeing what was happening correctly. Severus looked up from his book and at Mortimer who was grinning.    
   “What do you want?”    
   “I want to have you again.” Mortimer said, lowering his head and brushing his fangs against what little bit of neck was exposed from Severus’ robes. Severus pulled away and his body shuddered and shivered twice and his teeth chattered before he turned to look at Mortimer who gave him a wink. He stood up. 

   “What do you mean ‘again?’” Draco smirked, “Did Severus used to let Mortimer do bad things to him,” he started to try and wiggle out of his chains, “What did he do? Tell me. I want to know.” He started struggling so hard he felt back and the chair broke. Severus groaned he walked away, he didn’t realize he was walking a with a little more confidence but Mortimer did and he stared at what little he could see through the thick clothes and heavy robe. He pulled Draco up who lay on the floor startled at the chair breaking under him and the poke of long nails in his wrists and ankles and that pesky on digging into his lower back. When Mortimer pulled him up and rebound him to the chair he continued to glare at Mortimer who took Severus’ seat. He leaned back and inhaled deeply before glaring back at Draco. 

   “I was so close this time.” He whispered and Draco just rolled his eyes. “You know what, little one, you better check that attitude because I swear to Morgana I will end you as fast as I created you. Don’t give me that look, as if I wouldn’t do it. The only reason I decided to keep you after making you is so I could stay with Severus, I would have let you lose in the world and you would have been executed. There’s only ever been one vampire that I turned that I cared about and she’s...she’s insane.”    
   “Ex lover? Best friend? Mother? Did you make your sister? Did you bang your sister? I bet you would.” Draco started, anything to get him out of the chains, if he had to get thrown out in them he could use that to his advantage. Mortimer didn’t let it bother him, not this time, although underneath he was boiling with rage. Nobody would want him to release his anger, especially on the vampire he really did care about. He just wanted him to behave, he wanted to keep him in line but the other was so stubborn. Finally Mortimer stood up. 

   “You want that boy as your pet, as your  _ slave _ ?” He asked pulling out his wand. Draco’s lips curled up. 

   “Yes, I do. I get what I want. You have never denied me--”    
   “ _ Imperio _ .” He watched as Draco struggled, his body trying to fend off the curse, his magic fighting and finally his magic won. “I’m stronger than you, I’m older than you and I’m  _ better  _ than you.” He said lifting Draco’s body, his wrist and ankles bleeding as they are nearly ripped through by the bindings. “I love you Draco, I do, you’re my child. I didn’t mean what I said, but you are so infuriating. Do you like how this feels, how I am controlling you?” Mortimer went and released the leather binding and bolts that kept him down. He lifted Draco up and made him move his arm out and bite it. Mortimer made him do that many times and Draco just healed up, but then something happened and because he had lost so much blood through his bites when he bit down again it didn’t heal and he started to feel weaker. Mortimer slammed him into a bookshelf against the wall and then moved closer to continue the curse over him. “Do you like this? Not being in control. That is how a human works under your control. They lose their control with your poison in your blood and spit and they grow weak and then they die.” 

    “ _ Avada Kedavra _ .” He said and Draco dropped to the floor. He had just been killed and Mortimer picked him up and held him. Held his darling child, Severus had been watching from the stairs and he walked up and wrapped his arms around Mortimer’s side and Draco’s. He sighed, he had also lost a child, indignant, insufferable little brat of a child, but his godson nonetheless. 


	7. Chapter 7

    Mortimer had gotten a letter from an unfamiliar owl but the letter was from Hermione. He opened it up and fed the owl some water and looked around for something to feed it which led him outside to the pond where the owl had gone by itself to pick up a snack. It caught a frog and flew away. He sat by the water’s edge and tore open the letter. He looked down to see the nice loopy writing of Ms Granger, always formal in writing to him, or he would think she would write like this to everyone but maybe her close friends, she doesn’t seem like someone to get too informal with many people. Maybe it’s like chess, go where you need to go and avoid problems and then take the head, the king, and win your task. That is an interesting mindset, this could be considered a variation of that and it seemed that Draco was like that as well. Interesting, she did smell of Draco and Severus, that was very curious, he only wondered what she tasted like, in a totally sexual and platonic/meal way. 

_    Dear Mr. Mortimer, _

_     I am sorry to owl you this late at night, but I do remember you prefer the night over the day, the sun hurts your eyes a little so you like to stay indoors, if I remember correctly. I would like to speak to you about Harry and Draco. I know it is too soon to attempt to have them back together, I’m sure that Draco is thirsting for Harry’s blood badly since he’s tasted human blood and not just human blood but his first taste of human blood. Also, seeing as vampires also feed off of life essence and power, Draco must have really liked the power that came from Harry seeing as he did defeat one of the evilest wizards of all time, except maybe Gellert Grindelwald. You will have to tell me if you met him, but we can save that for another time. I wanted to ask you to meet me at Hogwarts. I’m not sure if Harry is coming but I don’t know anyone who’s able to explain things about your kind besides people of your kind, like you. I know it’s a lot to ask since we’re just friends, but it would mean a lot, and maybe prevent Harry from putting himself in danger again, which is probably a little too much to ask of him, but at least we can try.  _

_     I am also going to send Draco some blood lollies, I have son that my idiot friend/fiance bought and gave to me because he didn’t ‘like the taste’. He’s a little daft but don’t judge him too harshly he has grown into a fine young man, just not, my kind of man I do fear. I hope that you are having better luck with whomever you are interested in, because I am just so confused. I will be at Hogwarts around noon, but I will bring you some sunglasses since you never bring a pair and I will allow you to keep them until you can find a spell to act similar to them for yourself. I’m not digging into the archives of spells for something that muggles have invented, sometimes we just don’t need magic to help us in life.  _

_     The best of luck with your child and Severus. Let me know if he will be resuming his position at Hogwarts or not, I will be sure to be prepared for potions if so, and if not I will be very good at arese kissing the Headmaster, we had been doing it for long enough that our trio, Harry, Ron and I, know how to efficiently get what we want by pushing compliments. I’m sure you have learned that trait too you sweet-talker. A silver tongue you are, like the got Loki. Maybe you’re like that beautiful  _ seiðr _. I joke, but there is some truth and similarities in my words. I do hope you understand that you have been very helpful and a great friend.  _

_   Sincerely,  _

_ Ms Hermione Granger _

    Mortimer folded the letter and put it in his pocket before strolling back to the house. When he went back Draco was awake. The boy sat on the chaise, or more he lay out and groaned. His body was healing slowly due to the insufficient amount of blood he had been given to heal and of course the extent of the damage to his body and his ‘death.’ Really it just throws vampires into death sleep, it’s when they usually recover but to do it suddenly makes the vampire feel dead, lost in a vast darkness and sometimes light that they are trapped in until they woke up. Done correctly and free of will it was quite relaxing, especially when you were as good as Mortimer at it, slipping into death sleep and out, knowing his surroundings while he’s under, being able to see pictures and be somewhere, something close to dreaming, it made the act of ‘sleeping’ better and easier to tolerate when one needed to heal or sometimes just to do to stay seeming human for someone or something. 

    Draco was obviously in pain but he just grunted every now and then when he heard a noise or groaned when he felt someone near in order to gain sympathy, but hardly any was given. He had been a right on twat and Mortimer didn’t want it to go down like it had but it happened and it just happened, like everything  _ just happens _ . A dam breaking after years and years of water flowing into it and pushing it out until it gives, but this was more like a day and Mortimer was already very close to breaking from things other than Draco. 

    Severus had been in his potions lab trying to make a new brew to help with Draco to keep him from acting weird again but he was sure it was just a vampire thing, maybe not to that extent but the need to keep something that he cared about and the urge to claim things like vampires had a tendency to want to do, Severus thought bitterly as he thought about his problem with Mortimer. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the way he looked, and he was a little annoyed at the way he acted but with a few comments and withholding bites and sex that could be fixed, but he couldn’t get over the fact that he  _ wanted _ him back, and what did him ever wanting something and indulging in it, he got addicted to blood, he joined the Dark Lord, he did stupid things and he was not a stupid person so he just escaped and avoided everything he wanted just to keep himself from going in the wrong direction and ruining what would be better off left alone. 

   That day Mortimer met with Hermione but Harry didn’t show up so they exchanged pleasantries and went their separate ways, Mortimer offering her a home once again, after she told him about her blood status and he just nodded, listening attentively to her issues with it and everything that she thought was wrong about the curiosity Mrs Weasley had, and Mortimer agreed that it was rather invasive and permission should have been granted. 

   Two weeks later and Hermione is at Mortimer’s house, or Severus’. The potions master opened the door for her and looked her up and down. In her olive hoodie and jeans with a brown leather suitcase. 

    “I assume you would like to speak to Mortimer?” 

    “I would. He offered me a home here and I must take him up on that offer as I no longer want to trouble Professor McGonagall.” She admitted, he rolled his eyes allowing her inside. 

   “So you would rather trouble me?” Severus drawled as bored as ever and her eyes focused on the blonde boy who sat to the left of Mortimer who was spread out on the chaise reading a book. When Severus cleared his throat, Mortimer dropped the book and before it hit him in the face he was standing. He looked down and the book spread apart to hold his place. He smiled at Severus, a ‘look at what I just did, wasn’t it cool?’ and Severus just moved out of the way to show him Hermione. 

   “Hermione.” He said walking to her, “What are you doing here? Have you come to stay for a while?”    
   “Yes, but I’m not sure if I’m entirely welcome.”    
   “No, no, you are welcome here, Severus just needs to take an anti PMS potion or something, his frazzled nerves are bothering me too.” Hermione held in a laugh by drawing her lips close and looking everywhere but at Severus who was glaring so intensely at Mortimer it hurt. Draco was up and he offered his hand to Hermione, he nudged Mortimer out of his way so he could see her head on. He was much taller than her, he was also much taller than Harry then. He had short blonde hair but it was growing quickly as it curled in the back from his cowlicks and on in the front as well, which was annoying as all hell when one's tried to slick their hair back, so he just let it stay however it was when he woke up and that meant it was crazy and everywhere. He wanted it to get long again through so he could have the physical contact with Severus when he had braided his hair or put it up. He couldn’t stop thinking how stupid it was to cut it, at least that’s what he thought every time he looked in a mirror.    
    “I’m Draco Lucius Snape.” He smiled, he fangs withdraw, he looked human. “It’s a pleasure, Ms Granger, Mortimer has spoken quite well of you before.”    
   “Draco.” Mortimer whined. 

   “I mean, my  _ sire _ has said good things about you.” He turned to Mortimer, “Are you happy now?”    
   “Yes I am,” Mortimer smiled and laughed, “I’ll show ‘Mione her room, it’ll be the safest place. The room above mine. Draco would you make us some tea? All of us.” He looked at Severus who sat down in his chair with a grimace and a silent promise to hurt him later, Mortimer couldn’t wait to get hurt, he loved it when Severus was the one who inflicted it. He snapped out of his rather nasty thoughts and lead Hermione to the room above the basement entrance and showed her the door to enter his room before taking her into the bedroom. It was about the same size as Severus’ and it had a great big bed and a bookshelf and a large black vanity that looks more victorian than Minerva’s home, than even this home which seemed to come right out of a Rice novel. It was a large surface so she could write and since she didn’t use makeup it would be a great table to use to keep her things like pens and to do schoolwork, as the adult students at Hogwarts would likely need to sleep in their own houses this year in order to help rebuild and refurbish the school, but the dungeons were untouched, but how many students that weren’t in Slytherin would want to sleep in the dungeon (besides Luna who would probably think it would be cool because she’s weird and cute like that) Hermione thought with a laugh. This place was beautiful, it was darker than the other home she stayed in, but she felt like it could be much more lively, although from the looks of it, Severus and Draco read all the time and left Mortimer to work. She didn’t judge or anything like that but she would be worried about Draco getting a little too bored and doing something stupid like all young vampires do. Mortimer passed her in the room and sat on the bed but then stood up, he smiled cutely before letting her know that she could put her things away and come out to the parlour anytime she liked and there would always be tea and something for her to eat. 

    Draco was in the living room and had gotten close to Severus who was holding the boy even though he looked very displeased, but it wasn’t with Draco, not this time. 

    “She’s really pretty. I want to hold her and feel her warm skin. She looks so  _ alive _ .” Draco had been rambling about Hermione for a good few minutes and it didn’t seem that he was going to stop any time soon either. Severus let him drone on about how he wanted to just be close to her how she smelled really good but he would clarify that she didn’t smell like he wanted to bite her, just to be around her. Severus had the great idea to have Hermione help teach Draco about some of the magical things that he would need to try and stay up with the “eighth years” as he would be trying to do and Hermione may be a know-it-all but she was just confident, because she did know a lot, even Severus could admit it, now she new even more about vampires, she was like a sponge. Draco had made tea but it was getting cool sitting on the coffee table in front of them. Mortimer walked into the room, very giddy, he was happy that she was staying there. He could teach her secrets about things that Draco was too young to learn or things humans needed to know in case of a rogue vampire and things like that. Severus was also happy because he found his own reason that would have Hermione be beneficial to them. About ten minutes later Hermione came into the sitting room and looked at everyone. She looks at chairs and didn’t know where to sit. Draco had moved back to his seat.    
   “You can sit with me.” He offered innocently and she nodded and took a small spot for herself on his wide chair. He leaned in to smell her and she sat awkwardly and Mortimer just couldn’t help but to laugh. He used a reheating charm on the water and poured some tea in a glass for her. He fixed it the way she usually liked it and handed it to her. She took the cup and took a sip before setting the tea in her lap and cupping the sides with her hands. Draco smiled. 

    “You’re really pretty. I have never seen a girl as pretty as you.” It would have been extremely adorable if he wasn’t a grown man, but she had heard what had happened to Draco and in some ways he hadn’t experienced the world like other adults. She smiled. 

    “Thank you. You are very handsome yourself. I think your hair is really cute.” He looked quite taken by her and he thanked her before making a cup of tea for himself, he just poured some in a teacup and drank it plain, he didn’t really like the sugar or the cream, he didn’t need it to feel human. Although sometimes he didn’t want to be human, he did sometimes like to feel as if he were a regular human, not a dead one. Draco went into a story mode and told Hermione about his punishment that happened weeks prior and Hermione nodded at the end, unsure what to do. Mortimer had done that?    
    “Have you ever used the spells against anyone else?” Hermione asked as politely as she could. 

   “Only against one werewolf and a vampire. On my part the werewolf was Greyback and the vampire was crazy. Yeah, we don’t have good history. I would prefer not to talk about her though.” He said cutting it short, or as short as Mortimer could cut any conversation he was having. Hermione just nodded, those were valid uses, she wondered if he had a dark mark, he never had short sleeves on and that’s why Severus always bundled up it seemed. Severus looked over in the silence. 

   “Ms Granger, I know you are quite talented in potions and charms, would you mind to help Draco learn these things. If I understand correctly you were taking at least twelve classes in your third year, I don’t want to think about how many classes you must have been taking the other three years, before everything happened. He needs to be prepared to try and integrate him into regular society so he will be attending the class at Hogwarts for the spring semester. I will make it my one request and it would only be fair since this is my house and I am keeping you here.” Severus said, never once did his tone change, never once was there praise or belittlement, it was all the same, it was indifference and it was quite fitting for such a man, Hermione prefered it when Severus was indifferent towards her, something she didn’t get much of during her potions classes as she was always torn from her concentration by a mocking tone that belittled her ability at potion making. She was surprised he was asking for help and she gladly accepted it, since he had been more of a teacher to Ron and Harry than their teachers had been during the terms anyway. 

    Severus nodded and said he would go out to get some of his old books from his other residence and from his office and that he would be back in three hours or less but not to worry if he came back at the maximum time limit he had set for himself. He used a broom, and this shocked everyone as nobody had seen Severus use a broom before. From what Hermione gathered he wasn’t a flyer at all but he still surprised her. He was the referee of many Quidditch games so maybe she should have expected it as Professor Hooch has been the flying instructor and a coach as well. She smiled and took Severus’ seat and it was much more comfortable. The two vampires stared at her and she just waited for questions to be asked by herself and the curious youngling who had only met a few humans and didn’t know much about their etiquette as he did vampire etiquette and the fact that taking human blood bags was a bad thing because it was destructive and unsafe and all those other things that Mortimer and Severus had told him about and showed him (similar to  when a human used succinylcholine, paralysing the body and hurting them without anyone being able to stop them). 

    Harry had been in contact with Hermione and then she said she was moving and she told him she would take Mortimer’s offer, that she was a grown adult and it wasn’t going to be weird that she was the only woman living with three adult men. It was like a smaller version of Snow White, even though the story was sort of messed up...she had been nervous, but she felt like she had overstayed her welcome with Minerva who she cornered into taking her, but Mortimer had offered, happily offered. Harry was nervous, as nervous if not more for his best friend. Ron was always over his shoulder reading the letters which weren’t more than friendly chitchat as if they were in person and sitting across from each other. It was written in her note-style chicken scratch rather than anything that took much time. It was easier to read her writing since both boys had read her notes and learned how quickly she wrote leaving it a mess. Her pens though were fountain pens not quills, at least the ones she was using lately. Harry pulled a coat on and went to get his broom. It had been a few days since Hermione had settled into the vampire house and so he thought everyone would be gone by then and he was there in no time. He was trailed by Ron who landed and put his broom against the exterior wall as did Harry. Ron knocked and that’s when Draco rushed to the door as Hermione and Mortimer were leaving him to practice a few charms on his own so they could talk about whatever it was that they talked about when he wasn’t around. Draco opened the door expecting Severus with bundles of parchments of example papers that he had kept or papers he had written to be used as answer keys with certain information in order for him to correct and teach Draco how school would be but he looked down at Harry and up at Ron. 

   “h-Hello Harry,” he looked down at him and Harry looked away nervously. “...and you are?” He looked up, “You must be a Weasley, my father talks about you alot, you must be Ron, Potter’s friend. I’m Draco Lucius Snape, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He had been taught about how to great wizards, and that was the way, to say ‘it’s a pleasure to meet you’ even if it wasn’t a pleasure at all, because he really didn’t want the redhead to be here. In his hand he carried a small box. He must have been that fiance that Hermione mentioned before clamming up and not talking until spoken to for a while. Interesting. Draco wondered how he could use him and he lead them inside to the sitting room where he took everybody.    
   “Sire!” He called and Mortimer came. He saw Harry and the new boy he assumed was Ron and smiled. He called for Hermione and she came and she ran to them giving Harry a hug and nodding at Ron. He promptly shoved the box in his pocket and anyone who noticed it knew that it wouldn’t be brought out unless the Weasley was a complete dunderhead. Mortimer sat down in Severus’ seat since the two boys took the chaise since it was long and more comfortable for them to sit together comfortably in. Hermione snickered. 

   “You guys are in Mortimer’s seat.” Harry was the one who jumped to his feet and Ron pushed himself up with his knees. Mortimer waved for them to sit back down. 

   “You are the guests, you may sit wherever you want util Severus gets home.” He crossed his legs in Severus’ chair and leaned forward on an arm with increasing interest for what was going to happen. Draco looked over at Harry who tried not to notice him.    
   “I believe you and Hermione need to talk about some things.” Harry mentioned shocking Ron back into why the other tagged along. “I’ll speak to her after you’re done apologizing and kissing her arse.” Harry said with a nervous laugh and Ron stood up again. Hermione took him to her room and shut the door. What was going to happen? She wasn’t ready yet, she hadn’t thought about anything since she had been to this new house, it was so fun here. Draco was as studious as her and Mortimer loved to talk about everything he’d ever encountered in his long lived years. Ron paced around the room and Hermione grabbed his hand and let him sit beside her on the bed. His nervous energy making her nervous and when she was nervous she got frazzled and nobody liked a frazzled Hermione. 

    “I want to start and say that I’m sorry about what happened. You haven’t owled me or anything. I’ve been reduced to reading letters over Harry’s shoulder worried sick about you. And when you moved here. Hermione,  _ here _ .” He exaggerated by holding out his arms and shaking them. “There are two vampires here and our old enemy, did you not think this through? It’s dangerous here?”    
   “The only one we need to worry about is Draco and he is just learning, he’s like a extra possessive and hypersensitive fourteen year old.” 

   “Oh Merlin ‘Mione,” Ron’s voice cracked and he gave her that scared/lost puppy look, “I remember me at fourteen and I was a mess, even worse at fifteen and how soon will he be that age, in a month? In a week? It’s not good for you here, it’s bad company, and bad reputations. What if someone sees you here, what will they say about you--” 

   “They can say what they want. Why would it be bad that I’m staying here. The vampires were registered by Shacklebolt, and Severus for all they know, is teaching me and helping me with my potions, I am known to be an ‘insufferable know-it-all.” She looked up when Ron stood again going back to pacing, he couldn’t keep still. The love of his life was living in a vampire house and she was okay with it and with a Death Eater, Ron knew that there was still something wrong with Snape, there had to be, he was still weird and scary and all Death Eater-ish. 

    “But, I don’t think you understand thi-”    
   “I understand. I understand more than you give me credit for. Who protected you with her magic? Who casted those spells, all through those years who saved your arse, I save you and Harry over and over and you still think I can’t take care of myself? I haven’t had one problem with anyone here because we respect each other and each other’s time and privacy and we don’t go putting our noses in other people’s business!” 

    Mortimer and Draco listened to their conversation and Harry sat, looking at the wall opposite of the direct Draco sat. Mortimer was cheering Hermione on his head and Draco finally turned to talk to Harry. 

   “Are you feeling okay, after that...um, accident. I’m really sorry. I’m just glad you got out of here as quick as you did, I got some reality dropped on me and it really set me straight. I’m not biting people, I have been drinking human blood, but it’s from donors and I have a supply bottled and some blood flavoured lollies so I’m safe.”    
   Harry looked at him and nodded, “That’s...really good. I wasn’t too hurt. I’m glad I got away when I did, I slept the rest of the day and was awake before Mrs Weasley could steal my mail.” 

    “That’s also good.” Draco said. Mortimer was now listening to this conversation. Hermione was right, they didn’t butt in other people’s business but they sure did listen in on everything and keep it away so they could somehow use it later. That’s when Severus came in, he set the things down in the dining room before coming into the sitting room.    
   “Where’s Ms Granger? I have unfortunate news for her from a Ms Lovegood who bumped into me while searching for Hermione at the castle.”    
    “Since when are you using her first name?” Harry asked quickly, not caring about the news but since when did Snape of all people think it was okay to call Hermione by her first name, Harry knew that Severus was good, that he was always good, that he did what he did because he was hurt, but that doesn’t make up for the years of  abuse, especially abuse to a child because of his own abuse as a child by other children. 

    “Since she started living in my home.” Severus said back just as quickly with more ferocity than Harry, shutting the man boy up. Draco went to knock on Hermione’s room and she came out and walked away leaving wind trailing behind her fast heels. She looked at Severus and nodded her head respectfully.    
    “Ms Granger, I was told by Ms Lovegood that you have had your future read. Apparently she had come back for another visit to see Mr Longbottom and she was practicing cartomancy and when she was thinking of you to see how you were faring she saw your death, soon. A death and then a fortune, I’m not sure what to make of it, but I felt I should let you know.” Ron came out hearing the last part and threw his arms up. 

    “You never tell someone their prophecy, it will become self fulfilling.” Ron hissed, his voice shrieked and Harry looked back at him, he was distraught, it looked like he had been crying and when he looked to Hermione it looked like she had too. Draco was standing behind Hermione with an arm comfortably around her and Ron walked up and pushed his hand away. Hermione turned and Draco hissed, his fangs dropping and Hermione pushed Draco back and then pushed Ron away. She put her hands up. 

    “I...I need time. I need a whole lotta time.” She was whispering and Mortimer nodded, he went to take Draco to his room to calm him by removing him from the situation until he forgot about it or let the sting of anger stop and the remaining logic take over. Harry stood up.    
    “I came to talk to Draco, I didn’t get a chance-” Ron grabbed Harry’s arm and pulled him outside. Severus went to make tea and he brought a cup to Hermione who was sitting down on the chair, Draco’s chair and resting her head against the winged back. Severus handed her tea and she held it to her lap like she usually had. Severus sat across from her. 

    “You don’t believe in divination, why should you let this bother you? I was suspecting you would be angry, but not sad.” Severus said, this time his voice did change tone, it was almost caring, almost, not quite caring however. His voice was different with Draco and even with Mortimer now, but Hermione still got a colder treatment. “You remind me of myself. I wasn’t good with divinations, the class didn’t exist when I was a student but I did have friends who learned things. It was fun for parlour tricks... well, they weren’t my friends but they were in my house. I was a know-it-all, that’s all that I was known for by my peers, and Potter and his friends, they just tortured me, I hated them. Then Lily, I felt betrayed when she went with them, leaving me, her best friend. It was my fault though. That’s how I met Mortimer. Maybe you will meet your own vampire to take care of you.” 

     “I don’t want a vampire I want Ron back. I’m just so angry. I’m hurt, I don’t know what I should be feeling or what is not the proper way to handle what I’m going through or what is the proper way is, if there is a proper way. I’m so stupid.”    
   “No you are quite smart...for a Gryffindor.” He stood up and went to check on Draco who had hopefully sizzled out just a little at least. “Do whatever you need to make yourself feel better. Maybe you will die happily.” 

    Mortimer was out, he had to get to Hogwarts to help very early in the  morning since it had started to snow and there were still pieces of Gryffindor Tower that couldn’t be reached and he was the only one they would risk climbing that high up and not falling to his death. Mortimer climbed up and fixed the roof before he jumped down to land on his feet. He saw some of the regular witches, the ones that had lost their homes and were helping with gathering herbs and things for food  like the catches from the centaurs who were helping now they were reinstated as part humans since hags and some of the other more evil creatures were removed, not vampires or werewolves thankfully, strewn around the fresh snow, their blood making red spots as their throats were torn out. He looked around. 

    “I knew this day would come. Come out from wherever you are, Acheri.” He called out and he saw movement, fast, almost as fast as his and then his small sister was on top of him, she had made her own wand back in what was now the United States it seemed. She held up the wand to him and tried to put him under the imperius curse so she could make him look like the monster but he was too strong. She went down and ripped his throat out and left him in the snow. It blanketed over him like a cloud of death, his true death. Thankfully some souls came out of the castle and called for a healer or someone, anyone. They were thankful that Hagrid arrived on motorcycle and he called Severus who he referred to as Mortimer’s ‘owner.’ Severus was there soon and he levitated Mortimer’s body. He took him down to the floo and used it to get him home. Hagrid was left with suspicious looks and he was going to tell Shacklebolt of this new thing and how maybe Mortimer wasn’t on the good side, he was always cautious of Severus and now he was buddies with a vampire who couldn’t be good if he was hanging around a Slytherin, he knew about vampires and he didn’t like them anyway. 

    Severus took Mortimer to his room and lay him on the bed, he was frozen in place and he wasn’t breathing, he had gone into a death sleep from what Severus could tell and he used one of his knives used usually to chop herbs or some for certain potions that needed to be graced with some sort of athame and he sliced his forearm open and held it over Mortimer’s mouth. At first the vampire was unresponsive and then he felt a mouth open and close around his arm and then a bite was taken. Severus wasn’t used to the feeling anymore, the rush, the lust that washed over one’s body. Not since that suspicious tea that he had months previous. Severus crawled onto the bed and just let him take what he needed, holding himself up with n unstable and fragile arm that was crushed under his weight as he felt to lay flat on his side. Severus started to close his eyes and that’s when Mortimer got up and pulled away from Severus’ arm. He pulled the man to him and kissed his neck gingerly before biting down, he had licked the wounds closed on his arm so that nothing, none of his blood would go to waste. Mortimer lay Severus in bed and covered him up, he was rather cold and he went to get a blood replenishing potion for Severus and he brought it back to the room and tilted his ex lover’s head back and drained the potion into his mouth and then let him swallow it before leaving the room. He found Draco and Hermione positioned at the bottom of the stairs, curious. They were still in their pajamas. Well Hermione was, Draco was wrapped in a sheet, as he usually slept naked on a sheet by the fireplace. Mortimer touched his neck where he was still fine. 

   “He will be fine, I just borrowed some blood.” Draco just nodded and went to sleep on the chair in case Severus woke up. He pulled Hermione with him so that he could stay warm and she settled on him comfortably. He knew that Draco was all head over heels for Harry but he really wished that Hermione would have been right for him because they were so cute, it’s just that Hermione was so tired she could be led anywhere and she happened to get led to curl up on Draco’s sheet covered body. Mortimer smiled at Draco but picked Hermione up and moved her back to her bed and Draco had gone back to his room surely and Mortimer, he went back out this time he was flagged down by Shacklebolt who was already dressed in his nice robes and prepared for a day of doing whatever the Minister for Magic did. He stopped as he met Shacklebolt in the middle of their distance and Shacklebolt pulled Mortimer back onto the porch. 

    “Mr Hagrid told me you were at the scene of the crime committed earlier. Do you know anything about the attacker, did something happen, was it an accident?”    
   “I definitely did not do that. I couldn’t. This is going to sound very unbelievable, but I have a crazy sister who I kept locked away for a few decades to a century or two or so and when the Dark Lord was released and bound into a human body again she used the excess dark energy to free herself and she attacked me. I have the memories to prove it if it comes down to that.” 

   “Why has she waited so long to come here then?”    
   “Well, in North America, she has been terrorizing witches, wizards and muggles alike. She probably just realized that she couldn’t find me and so she traced me through our -- well she found me and now she wants to kill me, and I suspect she will come after Severus next or Draco or even Ms Granger.” Mortimer wasn’t going to have a panic attack since many vampires, especially old ones, couldn’t have them (even though it was pretty common among young ones) or unless they were under certain circumstances...and this was exactly that time, he looked away and excused himself, he told him that they could talk later in the afternoon. Mortimer ran up the stairs after locking and bolting the door shut although that wouldn’t stop her.    
    He went and lay beside Severus who had regained most of his colour, even if he was naturally and unnaturally pale due to many outside factors, but he was looking alive, just that tiny thing that helped someone look as if they were living, and it wasn’t just the breathing or the lack of too many noticeable veins. Mortimer started to cry and he kept his eyes cupped with his hands as to not get any blood on the blankets or Severus’ bed, but he was comforted when an arm slung around Mortimer’s shoulders and pulled on him to press against a warm flat stomach. He turned over from under his arm and he looked at Severus who blinked heavy eyelids at him and Mortimer pressed his lips to Severus’. Severus pushed back but he couldn’t do much more, he felt like a ragdoll. Mortimer knew that and he pressed his head to Severus’ chest and just let himself feel safer, he knew that if Acheri were to come into this manor, she would kill all of them, and Hermione and Draco would be the first to go, but he didn’t want to think about it, he didn’t want to think about losing this makeshift family, and he even included Hermione in that because she was Severus’ cousin and Draco’s cousin like thrice removed or something weird like that, he didn’t know anything about lineage and he didn’t care, he didn’t care about those things usually, at least not the particulars. It was already uncomfortable, he had been able to feel the bond strengthen since the early morning when he was still awake but it had gotten so intense since then. She could be anywhere, she was just close. 

    As an Auror, or at least an honorary Auror who did all the dog work for Shacklebolt and dealt with the big ‘Chosen One Big’ problems, he was sent to Severus’ home and when he entered he heard Draco talking, it was like he was talking to himself, really he was singing potion ingredients and their amounts. He had taken a cauldron to his room and was making calming draught potions. He had just made a batch of blood replenishing potions and he hoped they were up to Severus’ standards. Harry let himself into the house and into Draco’s room. Harry quickly turned away seeing Draco’s nakedness as he sat close to the fire. It was ten in the morning, why wasn’t he dressed? 

    Draco pulled his sheet over him. 

   “You can look, I covered myself, Mr. Potter.” Harry frowned when Draco called him by his last name, even if it was the more respectful thing to do. 

   “It’s just Harry, it’ll always be just Harry.” He replied before walking in and closing the door. He didn’t believe Shacklebolt when the Minister had said he and Hagrid thought that Mortimer had killed those people therefore making him a danger to wizard kind and result in him being executed, but Harry knew better as Mortimer was older, he wasn’t that foolish, he had donors. It seemed more like a Draco problem so it was only reasonable to talk to Draco first. Draco was finishing the potion he had created, he motioned for Harry to sit on one of the plush chairs to the back of Draco. Harry couldn’t help but look at now unmarred skin of Draco’s back. Some of his platinum hair that curled up under his neck slightly and then rested against his back. The cowlicks probably hadn’t been so noticeable because the weight of such long hair that held them down previously had been there to keep them at bay. He remembered when Draco was beautiful like a princess almost, or a prince but mostly he looked like a girl, a beautiful girl. Harry took a deep breath and finally Draco finished the potion and bottled it quickly. He let his magic clean the cauldron. He turned to face Harry and then he stood up, dropping the sheet and going to lay on his bed. He rested on his stomach, propped up on his bent elbows. 

   “Is this about what happened with Mortimer and Severus? They’re safe now, I smelled Mortimer crying and Severus still had a pulse the last time I checked for it.” 

   “Oh, yeah. I am here about that,” he opened up a notepad and took out a regular fountain pen with ink already in it so there was no reason to dip it, it was great and muggle, something that Hermione had bought him before she left, which was bought with Harry’s money, but it was a nice gift. “So what happened?”    
   “Ooh, you’re interrogating me. Should I be scared?”    
   “Not if you are innocent.” Harry replied with a calm smile, but that’s not how Draco saw it, he saw disbelief  and the predestined look of thinking lies and that he was telling lies. Draco frowned and then he pushed himself up. 

   “I should be scared then, because no matter what I say you are going to think I’m guilty. Why, because I bit you? Come on, you didn’t even...taste that  _ good _ . Don’t think that just because I lost control once I would do it again. I learn by my mistakes unlike some people.”    
   “What does that mean?” Harry demanded, putting the pad away along with his fountain pen in his inside coat pocket, he was a real business man in that jacket. 

   “I mean that you haven’t learned anything. All you’ve done is dislike me and wonder why you were hurt and then you push away Hermione with your redheaded little ingrate!”    
   “You take that back, he’s much better than you, _ Mr. Malfoy _ .” Harry replied darkly, he was not going to stand by and let his friend be insulted by a deranged vampire. Draco held out his hands. 

   “Just take me, you won’t believe anything I have to say. You’re just mad because...because I hate you.” Harry slapped Draco and he was quickly reached out for and brought down on Draco who spun them over and pinned his legs down while he held down his wrists. “Don’t hit me! Nobody is allowed to hit me. I should have just taken you and forced you to serve me, that stupid curse hasn’t changed my mind.” Draco leaned down and bit down on Harry, with anger so much that he managed to bite off a bit of flesh. Harry choked, he was in shock. “I dare you to hurt me now, I dare you to be rescued this time.” Harry got his wand and stupefied Draco who flew back a few feet, his ankles hitting the frame of the bed and then he landed on the floor on his back. Harry lifted his hand to his throat and felt the blood, running out of him, he didn’t puncture anything vital, he wasn’t going to bleed out, but it did hurt. 

   Draco was back up and he nearly broke the Auror’s neck when he turned his head to look away from him. He bit down again and started to feed. He moaned as he felt so horrible, he hated himself for doing this but he wanted this and he hated that he was hurting Harry but he wanted this so bad. He pulled back and went to give him a potion. He licked the wound to seal it. He pressed his head in Harry’s neck. 

    “Oh my Gods, I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have, I can control myself, I can do it. I wish I could kill myself already.” he felt Harry wrap his arms around him and Harry was so close to bringing the wand down into Draco’s back, ending him, if that really worked, apparently certain things from the stories didn’t actually work. He couldn’t set him on fire as he would go crazy or something and that would put Hermione in danger. So he held Draco to him and the vampire cried and sobbed and begged for forgiveness, much like he was sure that Ron should have been doing and Harry couldn’t help but forgive the youngling. He wasn’t a monster, and he was right, Harry wouldn’t have thought it wasn’t him, his mind was already set on making him the bad guy. Draco was right and Harry felt bad for that. Disappointed in himself that he would let his own experience get in the way of the truth. Hermione ran inside the room and she locked the door. Draco looked up and she had her wand prepared. 

  “I thought something bad had happened, I’m sorry.” She said before closing the door behind her. It took her a few second to go back inside the room and see that Draco was trying so hard to be good, to not bite Harry, he also noticed the way Harry was in pain, or was that something else? She couldn’t tell, she had never been good with emotion, she was honestly a academic person not a people person (although she made friends with Mortimer pretty easily). Harry pushed himself away after he opened his eyes and had recognized her voice. He stood up and Draco made a little  _ umph _ when he got hit in the stomach and almost off the bed by Harry when the Auror stood. Harry adjusted himself and Hermione frowned. 

   “Why did you do that?”    
    “Just, I must leave.”    
   “Did you get what you were coming for?” Hermione was incredulous, of course Harry would be acting weird, but he wasn’t supposed to be a git. He was supposed to realize that someone needed protection that he needed to be a hero once again, but maybe that was just Hermione reading too much romance and projecting what she felt she needed onto Harry and Draco (who she was sure were just dying to be to close and too far away leaving them in a very awkward position). Hermione helped Draco up and wrapped him in his sheet as if it were a toga and lead Harry to the door with Draco on his heels.    
    “Thank you Hermione, and Malfo-”    
   “Don’t call him that.” Hermione had said at the same time that Draco had replied with, “Don’t call me that.” 

   “Er, yeah, I mean Mr Snape. Have a good rest of the day, please expect me back with another Auror as we will be conducting an investigation and we would like to take your observations and what you have heard.” Draco frowned and shook his head turning on his heel and stalking away Hermione punched Harry in the shoulder when Draco was gone. 

   “What was that for?” He whisper yelled at her as she glared. She took a second to sigh and hold her temple and jaw with her hand. 

    “Did you not realize he’s just a kicked puppy and he wasn’t there when that accident you were fighting about happened?”    
    “Of course he would want you to think that, listen to yourself. When did we ever decide to listen to creatures, not just any creatures, not like the centaurs, but dark creatures, like vampires?”    
   “When you realized your father’s best friend was a werewolf.” She hissed, “You will only be taking Mortimer’s information, do you understand, Harry Potter I swear to Merlin I will curse you to high heaven, he is my friend. He is a good person and he doesn’t have it in him to kill all of those people, he’s like a ten year old, a scared ten year old who wants to have a mum and someone to care about him because Severus isn’t capable of showing a goddamn ounce of affection!” She could have been smiling and speaking with complete unabashed romanticism but it would still be scary. She was fuming, her hair was caught in her hand and her eyes were wide open and staring at Harry with an expectancy, not like the Weasleys not like Dumbledore had, but with affection, which apparently this young vampire didn’t get and Harry just put his hands up to defend himself. 

   “I can’t in good faith-”    
   “In good faith!?” Hermione calmly stepped outside and closed the door behind her. “Let’s talk more about this over here so nobody hears me screaming at you and decides I’m abusing you rather than just lending you some common sense.” She led Harry over to the area that if it was cleaned up could be used to play Quidditch and it would be large enough and green enough to look good and professional. However it was covered in weeds and other plants that looks not only dangerous and poisonous, but some of them looked like they could eat you or strangle one to death. Hermione conjured chairs for them, hers was just a slightly taller chair so she could, and she would never admit to this, but so she could  _ lord  _ over Harry to make her seem more intimidating. She wasn’t hurting much, she was his friend and always would be, but sometimes, just like in school, she needed to be there to help her two idiot friends and to make sure they were on the right track and keep them from painfully stupid ideas and mistakes (because a normal stupid idea and mistake was never too bad, it was just another way to learn and Hermione promoted learning). Hermione motioned for Harry to take a seat and he did. She put up a protection bubble and a silencing charm to keep their conversation more private than it would be inside where she could have set the spell but Draco would likely want to join them so Hermione could comfort him because it had been a habit she had indulged in, comforting Draco when he was sad and reassuring the vampire that, every time he drank blood, he wasn’t a monster and he didn’t just kill people. Everything that he would pride himself to stand above and try to hide or keep a secret from Mortimer and Severus and now Harry. 

     It started when Hermione saw Harry open his mouth to protest and then shut it. She nodded, so that’s how it was going to be. She would just have to lay it out for him and try to have him pick up the pieces.    
    “So, Harry, there are some things that I must inform you about. I can account for Draco’s presence all morning long, that should clear him of your suspicions should it not?” The easy way she would go, for now.    
    “I would love to hear the reason, I don’t want to have to interrogate him again nor do I wish to,” he stopped, he didn’t really want to see him, too many emotions came with that, he honestly just tried to do his job, be the hero, save everyone from the two vampires and the ex Death Eater, no matter how important they had been. How Mortimer had saved Severus, how he had saved Draco and how Severus had taken them into his home to help teach and train them. “ _ Hurt _ Draco by stressing his young mind, and unnurtured nature, out and having him...approach me with,” he was trying to find the words, the words he never had to make things break their fall or a way to disguise his words, he had never been good at sugar-coating. Hermione was however and she twitched every time he stumbled for a word or hesitating saying something, he knew that she knew what he meant. Before he could continue she held her hand up asking for him to just stop talking, a gesture he had gotten used to.    
    “I will make you a deal, if you stay with me over here today and visit every couple of days to see how they act, and you still think that they are guilty then you can take them  _ in _ for questioning, without the comfort of their home, and I will go and  _ try _ to forgive Molly. When I say you can take them into questioning, I mean only Draco as I’m sure Shacklebolt would want to deal with him himself.” Harry sighed and stood up and shook her hand.    
     “I agree.” He knew she didn’t break promises and neither would he. Hermione let un-conjured the chairs and they disappeared before she could take down the spells and lead Harry back towards the door.    
   “You might want to disillusion yourself if you want to see them as natural as normal, or transfigure yourself into something, I could do it for you if you need my help.” She offered but he pulled the invisibility cloak out from inside his coat. “What all do you keep inside of those pockets?”    
    “Too much to name it all, ‘Mione.” He said with a smile before covering his body with the cloak. His father had been taller and probably let more than just him under the cloak, that was the only explanation for the cloak to have been so big. It dragged on the floor so he had to safety pin it up and magic away the safety pins away to keep it from dragging too much and tripping someone. He sat back on a uncomfortable and forgotten wooden chair in the back of the sitting room. When Hermione walked in she sat on the couch and that’s when Severus had gotten out of bed. He was dressed decently but it was without his billowing cloak so his clothes stuck rather tigh onto him, with black trousers and a black long sleeved coat. His hair was pulled up out of his face and he wobbled down the stairs before correcting himself when he noticed that Hermione was still out. It was the middle of the day, one of his last days to just relax and not rush everything and worry about the details so to Hell if she would take that away, although he disagreed with her presence as she should be doing something productive like helping Draco, but he had heard some shouting, maybe something had happened. He decided to not interfere, he cared but he didn’t want to seem overbearing so he did nothing about the shouting, instead he walked toward the kitchen and recieved the firewhiskey from the cabinet and started to walk back to the room. He paused when he realized that Hermione wasn’t reading, she was just sitting, her leg crossed over another with a look far off.    
   “Hermione? I suspect your argument with Draco wasn’t so horrible that you have lost all of your brain cells. What are you looking at?” He tried to follow her eyes but it just lead to an empty chair, the empty chair he was sure he would one day throw away, had it not been enchanted. 

    “Oh, Professor,” she smiled and looked towards him with a smile, he glared back unsure why she was smiling, “I was just waiting for Draco to come out. Harry had been over and they were the ones who had been fighting. I am waiting to help soothe your godson that’s all. Make sure he is in a right state of mind before teaching him any magic lest it interfere with his ability to learn.” 

    “Yes, that is quite wise.” He wanted to say ‘good job’ but he did, “And need I remind you that as you are a guest in my home, no matter how problematic, you may call me Severus or even Mr. Snape.” She nodded. 

    “I will try to remember next time we speak, Severus.” She said and he just stood stunned for a second before turning away and gliding up the stairs. Had his robes been on, he was sure that he would have looked much like a vampire, more so than he did anyway, he had heard the rumors that spread through the school and around circles without him, they all suspected him to be one of the dead. He scoffed as he opened his door, the dead aren’t as cold as him. He walked in and Mortimer was sitting up. He had fixed his hair and was smiling suggestively at Severus who just rolled his eyes and got back into bed with the vampire and shared his half empty bottle. 

     Harry and Hermione waited on the couch for Draco to creep out with his robes on. He sat on the chair with Hermione, or the chaise and rested against her. She petted his head and let him sleep on her. He was always tired during the day. She suspected that like the fictional vampires he should be up during the night and sleeping during the days but he wasn’t allowed to with Severus who put up house rules for his two vampires to keep up with. Hermione had also been told to follow those rules, but she never broke them as it would be rude to do such. However Mortimer was always breaking them, he was breaking one right now for being in Severus’ room. Draco was breaking another by sleeping during the day as it would make him more energetic during the night and ruin the schedule that his godfather tried so hard to have him maintain. 

    The Auror looked at the sight and at that moment, Harry could see the little vampire who he had thought was so capable of hurting people look like he was about to just cry himself to death even though he didn’t cry, he just shook with silent sobs, no tears had fallen, unless the blood running through his fingers were his tears. Draco stood up and went to wash his face and hands and as Draco moved towards his room, Harry saw the blood on his face and how it stained his hands, he looked like a monster, but Hermione didn’t say anything so neither did he. When Draco came out he had his wand and a book. It was a transfiguration book. He wasn’t sure what year it was for, but it was there.  Harry didn’t know how Draco was getting into Hogwarts unless he was accepted due to a fabrication of his years in Hogwarts which had likely been the case seeing as the castle was really open to anyone and even more to someone who knew how to move about it with ease. Harry didn’t want to think about that though as he saw Hermione sit up and watch Draco with the book. He threw his legs over the chair and looked through the spells. He stood up and put the book down.    
    “Can you help me do this, and by that, I mean will you transfigure me back if I mess up.” 

    “I can definitely help you transform you back.” She said as he transfigured himself into a teacup. She picked him up off the floor and set him on the table. She smiled. 

    “Good job, it’s pretty good.” There was still something off about the teacup as the clothes he had been wearing were now on the ground seeing as he didn’t do the whole thing perfectly and was bound to have something go wrong since he hadn’t been practicing too much. He didn’t care much for Transfigurations but he wanted to learn so he could have an animagus. He hadn’t asked Mortimer if it was possible but Hermione said if he could cast a patronus it would be possible. He tried to turn back and when he tried he did and he fell back into the chair with a wide grin. 

   “I just did that, and it was very cool.” He said tried to imitate the seemingly relaxed way that Hermione used her words. Hermione smiled and pat his shoulder. 

    “Yeah, it was pretty neat.” Draco stood up and stretched his arms. 

   “Let’s go outside and duel a little then we should eat and then we can go flying. I’ll take you with me because I know you don’t like flying.” He went to put some sunglasses on as it was harder for him to see outside during the sun, like Mortimer had problems sometimes, but his was caused by the non frequent feeding and irregular sleeping habits that troubled his inner demon which consequently made it hard for him to stand the day. He also took a potion that allowed him into the sun. He came bounding downstairs and opened the front door. He held it open for Hermione who walked through and then he sensed something else walking past him but he hadn’t seen anything so he didn’t mind, also since nothing had hurt him he wasn’t so keen on attacking the presence, it could have been one of Severus’ ghosts or something for all he knew. Someone sat on the boards outside of the house since they creaked but Draco ignored it because sometimes it was the wind and animals under the porch that made those noises. He was sure there was a nest of diricawl or crups under the patio and probably somewhere there could be a entrance into the basements and dungeons in the home, but Draco had ever only explored the dungeon that Mortimer started to call his room. Draco stood across from Hermione out under the sun and he took a position that Mortimer had gotten into when he and Severus had demonstrated.    
    “Ready?” Draco asked as he raised his wand. 

    “Yeah, on three. One. Two. Three.” Hermione tried to disarm Draco but he had put a shield up and he dropped it quickly so he could cast expelliarmus on her. She blocked it. 

    “ _ Inflatus!” _ She screamed  and Draco had to laugh and move out of range. He couldn’t believe she tried to use that on him.    
    “ _ Langlock!” _ Draco replied and when he had moved to where Hermione would have moved it hit her. Her tongue became stuck to the roof of her mouth and she glared at him. She put her hands up, it was over. She motioned Draco forward where he went over her mouth with  _ finite _ and her mouth went back to normal. He smiled and she laughed. 

   “I don’t know of that spell, another one that Severus created?”    
   “Yes, it was. I’ll teach it to you sometime. It could be real useful on your redhead or Mortimer.” He laughed and they walked back inside. Harry stayed outside, he took the cloak off of his face and looked out at the green land that went off into the distant. He heard Draco run back outside and he and Hermione ran for the back of the house. Harry followed them after quickly pulling the cloak back over him. Harry walked forward to see Draco with Hermione and they were getting their brooms. They couldn’t have already eaten. Draco nodded and flew into the air. She wobbled onto her own broom. Harry thought she would be riding with Draco. He almost wanted to get into the air with them. She flew up and Harry watched as Hermione and Draco chased each other around. When Hermione landed, she looked up and Draco was barrelling down into the ground and then he pulled up. Something closer to that of Harry when he played Quidditch. He assumed it was because the other was dead and he wasn’t as scared of hitting the ground since he would heal himself over time. Harry was fondly reminded about all those days he had spent in the infirmary with Nurse Pomfrey. 

    Hermione and Draco sat on the back patio, under the shade. A few feet from where Harry had sat in the corner at the conjunction of the wall and the fence around the raised patio. Draco took off his long robe and then his shirt under the robes. He wore a tight jacket like something a muggle would wear as a coat during the cold, but he wore it against his skin and with a pair of tight slacks. Hermione smiled and leaned closer to Draco who pulled her onto him and held her cheek. The way he held her and took care of her was nice to see, Harry envied the care that Draco was sharing with her. Then, unexpectedly, Hermione let her head roll to the side and Draco’s fangs dropped and he bit into her. Harry jumped up and threw the cloak off of him and went to pull Draco off but Hermione put a hand up to stop him.    
    “Draco, stop for a moment, please.” Draco hesitated for a second before pulling away and turning to see Harry. How he would rather be latched to Harry’s neck at that moment. The blond turned away, the other man’s eyes were staring into his soul, if he still had one, or if he had one at all. Hermione stood up and brought Draco up with her. He licked the wound close, first licking up a trail of blood that stuck slightly to her shirt’s collar before he closed the bite.    
   “How long has he been here, was he that smell, that extra heartbeat. I thought it was a dog.” Draco spit the second sentence out just to try and hurt Harry. He was above many things, but sometimes nobody was above petty words to hurt someone, and his tongue was sharper than his fangs if he wanted it to be. 

    “I’ve been here since you last saw me. I didn’t leave.” Harry said, rushing to Hermione who had distanced herself from both of them. When Harry approached her she had her arms across her chest and looked at him, almost as she had looked at Ron when he insinuated (or when she felt like he was insinuating) that she hadn’t pulled her part when they were fighting against everything not even a full year prior. 

    “Don’t touch me.” Hermione said and Harry stopped. 

   “‘Mione...I’m sorry, I overreacted, but what would you do if you saw Draco biting me?”    
   “I would be concerned, if I didn’t know Draco, but for the past few hours, I let you see how he was. Did he seem like he would hurt anyone?”    
   “I was watching him to throw him out of the investigation and clear him, not to see how close you’ve gotten to him. You’re still with Ron, how would he-”    
   “No, I’m not. I gave back the ring. I don’t want to marry him. Not now, not right now anyway. I love him, if not romantically than like a brother. Would I give myself to a vampire, to Draco, if I thought I was going to be hurt fatally? Draco always heals me after he’s done and he’s been nothing but nice to me. He’s not some monster. I’ve been living with him for a week, and that might not be a long enough time to want to be best friends like you, Rone and I but it’s long enough for me to learn about him enough to know that he doesn’t hurt people on purpose. He wouldn’t hurt me if I didn’t scare him, didn’t threaten him, didn’t reject him. He’s no more of a monster than you or I, he’s just different and he needs to eat. Sometimes, about three times, I’ve let him drink from me, because I would rather have him be safe here than venturing out and getting hurt or like you think, hurting someone else.”    
   “I wasn’t prepared to see that. Nobody should be. Vampires aren’t normal.” Draco deflated as he heard Harry speak up, as if he was now the logical one. The one who didn’t constantly throw himself in danger for his friends. Would he sacrifice something like he always did. Hermione had told him about Harry, had really painted the beautiful picture of him, but now he was just a jerk, just like everyone else. No wonder his father, Severus, was so bitter, if that was how all humans were towards difference then he wondered how they had friends. Hermione wasn’t like that. 

   “You don’t mean that.” Hermione said, walking towards him, gaining control by approaching him and resting her hand on his arm first.    
    “I don’t know what I mean, I’m so confused.” He looked down and then the door shut. Draco had left, he had gone inside. He didn’t want to hear anymore, and it felt wrong to watch them, watch the two interact. It seemed like a moment of friendship, familiarity and intimacy, something he shouldn’t be there for since he didn’t, not for lack of trying, have with either of them, and especially not with Harry. He sat on his chair and Harry rushed Hermione to sit and Hermione took her sweet time, because she was not letting Harry take control of this. She was on top here and it was hers to guide. Harry took his seat outside on a conjured chair because he was not going to sit on the creaking old pieces of furniture that seemed like they would break if someone looked at them wrong. Hermione had no problem sitting on one and it didn’t budge. She shook her head at him. This was because of his life, this wasn’t truly about anyone but Harry and this would be something he needed. 

    “Why are you so quiet now. Please say something.” Harry whispered and Hermione shifted, she was gathering her thoughts and words, arranging them in the nicest way to present what she wanted to say as it was a rather ugly idea or at least it would make Harry pitch a bitch if he didn’t hear it in the way he needed to hear her logic and wisdom, like always. 

    “Okay,” she started, she rubbed her hands on her jeans over her thighs. “I think you need to forget what you think you know about Draco. I’m not saying that what happened to you wasn’t scary or that your feelings and your fear are unwarranted, because if I was,” she hesitated, “ _ attacked _ , then I would be afraid too, but then it’s easier to help see what happened to the other person what they were feeling. I think we should borrow the Pensieve from Severus, since it’s in his office at Hogwarts, and we should review your memories with you walking through how you felt and then do the same for Draco. We could even bring Mortimer as someone to keep you two distant as I seem to not have the strength to do so, physically and mentally because it seems I have grown accustomed to Draco and you’re my best friend, I will never want to think logically about you, I simply want to be around you because you make me happy and I enjoy being around you.”    
   “I think that we could do that. But, not with Mortimer, we’re all grown adults, we don’t need a mega old guy to watch us.”    
   “Okay, it’s settled, I will owl Severus in a moment. Come inside, Draco can make more tea and I will sit down there with you if it will make you feel better.”    
   Harry scoffed, “I’m the bloody Saviour and I can’t even sit in a room alone with a vampire, you know. And I’m not...scared. I’m just uncomfortable. In this house, not because of Draco.”    
    “It doesn’t matter what makes you  _ uncomfortable _ I’m just saying I will be with you so that you will feel better compared to if you were alone. Take it as you will.” Hermione stood up and opened the door for Harry. Draco was running back to the living room where he couldn’t hear their conversation. It’s a long way to the back of the house from the living/sitting room. He sat, his legs bounced with nervous energy and he looked in front of himself. He was a monster, he could kill, he could feel the urge to do so, he could take what he wanted to and sometimes it scared him that he didn’t care at what cost it would be that he could take what he wanted, but he did at the same time. That pesky shred of humanity still tying him down to human ways and emotion. In some ways he wanted to let it go and turn into something better than Mortimer, he had to learn emotion over again, he wanted to ascend to where Mortimer should be, emotionless and ready to take on the world, but he was full of overwhelming emotions and a burdensome fact that he was an introvert, so taking on the world made him seem like he was having a manic episode with grandiose ideas and a sudden willingness to meet and converse with others and thrive on the conversations. How he wished he could be like that, his father was like that, not Severus, the other man, the one who kept him in the basement. He was very much an extrovert and he was a politician from what Draco had heard. Many nights, above the cellar that lead into the basement that encompassed the entire under house but was only sectioned off as if it were a small room leading off from the hallway was indeed where he was and there were many dinners that had happened there that were always about something in the wizarding world, he probably knew more about the dirty politics in the basement then most of the wizarding world. 

   Hermione relayed their development and ideas as she wrote a letter for Severus but then he came home, tired and Mortimer followed behind him from the floo room. Hermione didn’t bother to tell Severus and handed him her finished note. He pulled off the wax seal that she must had brought or something because he didn’t recognize the crest, it was the Prince family crest but he hadn’t cared enough about his abusive family to learn anything about their crest, he hadn’t read any of the books that Draco had on the Prince’s family, he didn’t know he had an uncle or anything, he did get weird looks from Mortimer or Hermione though and that was off putting. He shrugged that off just like he shrugged the crest off and then he read the letter. He sighed and dropped his hands to his sides.    
    “You may go to use the Pensive, just don’t touch anything in my office.” Mortimer pinched Severus’ arse but Hermione didn’t notice. “Please.” Severus added after the pinch and then quickly walked away from Mortimer who strolled in as if it were his house and not his ex lover’s house that he was only staying there because he had a familiar bond to his lover’s godson. Mortimer looked at Draco who had just brought out tea and was staring wide eyed at Harry as the wizard across from the vampire looked down, he could feel the uncomfort rolling off of him in waves and even more he felt concern and fear, coming from both of them. He smiled crookedly and leaned back on his chair and stretched his legs out. They hung over the end of the chair but then he looked to both of the mere boys compared to him. He originally didn’t like that his child was fawning over Mr. Potter because of the power that had to run through his blood, but now it seemed that they were both uncomfortable and even awkward. It was funny to watch, probably not as funny as himself, he’d admit he was a comedy genius but he watched the two men looked away from each other and avoid each other’s gazes while sitting in bone crushing silence. He hoped one of them farted or burped or coughed or hell, just did something to disrupt the stagnant air. Draco wasn’t even trying to look human, he wasn’t even breathing, he was just sitting like a corpse, while Mortimer had learned to only breathe when to exaggerate or during sex, he still looked lively when his chest didn’t rise because he was so animated, but Draco was so still, like a statue, it just reminded him of why he chose Draco, in his beautiful poised pose, it was stunning but it was obviously making Harry even more uncomfortable while Hermione was running around looking for things. She had to read up on extracting memories but when she figured out how to do it and then was confident in her ability she took both boys, much to Mortimer’s amusement, and practically dragged them to the floo room and took them to Severus’ office. When they got there they had to look around and found another door leading into a room and then from that room there was a closet, except it was like a large chamber full of stuff and in a corner was a large Pensieve. 

    “Who wants to go first?” 

   “I will.” Harry offered and Draco was glad because he didn’t want to walk through his, he was planning on lying but Hermione pulled out something from her pocket. She handed a vial to both boys. 

   “Drink these first. Don’t ask just do it.” Draco drank it and so did Harry and they didn’t ask any questions because it was obviously Veritaserum and they both valued Hermione’s judgement. Hermione put her wand to Harry’s temple and extracted the memory before dropping it into the pensieve. On three they all pushed their faces into the silver water and the memory began. 

_ Harry was approaching Severus’ house.  _

__ “I was going over because I wanted to apologize for making Draco angry.” 

_ Harry knocked on the door and he was greeted by Draco. Draco looked cold and distant. “Hey, sorry I said that stuff the other da--whoa.” _

   “I was scared, I didn’t...I felt so helpless, and I’m Harry Potter, the Saviour, I don’t feel helpless, I am strong and I, I killed Voldemort. Draco is half my weight and has noodle arms, but he was able to keep me down.” 

_ Harry was jumped on and held down while Draco closed his eyes and kissed his cheek, kissed his neck, kissed the skin over his jugular and bit down. Harry let out a startled gasp before he felt the pleasure rushing through him as his blood pumped the saliva through his veins. _

   “I started to feel good though, and it disturbed me. Not only was it with a bloke but it was with a vampire who was attacking me.” Draco gave a fake cough to disrupt his train of thought. He would have corrected his usage of ‘attacked’ but that is what it looked like. “I could feel someone tugging on Draco, his fangs moved, inside of me. They moved! It hurt as it pulled my wounds open even more. I felt a mouth open up more to collect the blood. It was, it was terrifying but it felt so good. I gasped or moaned or something, it was nice. To feel that after years of nothing, years of not testing with friends never being able to mess around in the dorms. Ron was too straight and girls weren’t my thing, but I like looking at them. Cho was my thing, I liked her, but then I didn’t. Ron was there, and I, fifth year I pushed him away but he didn’t seem to notice how I focused more on fighting and worrying. Then we didn’t have a chance to feel anything.” 

   The memory ended and they pulled up. Harry was blushing due to his embarrassment and Draco was silent. He knew what happened after that encounter and it wasn’t something he was proud of, it was something he didn’t want anyone to see. How he wanted to be, what he wanted to do to a living person, someone who would be trapped just like he had, he was willing to do something that mean and cruel, but a part of him still wanted it, still egged him on and told him to just  _ take it _ . Take first and ask questions later. Hermione gently placed her hand on Draco’s shoulder, the vampire calmed himself and looked down at Hermione who put her want to his temple and pulled his memory out and dropped it into the pensieve. On three, once again, they dipped their faces into the metallic water and saw the memory play out. This one started earlier. 

_ Draco was with people, a man that looked like Harry and Mortimer who was obviously drunk on the pleasure and feelings that people were feeling around him. Then there was a knocking at the door and all too quickly, Draco was up and at the door.  _

__ “Mortimer was showing me how to feed, that man that was sitting with me, his name was Derek, Mortimer picked him purposely I think to look like Harry and take my attention off him. I was...pining for lack of a better word and I was sad and he was only trying to cheer me up. Mortimer had let some blood flow but he was still awake enough to see me, he wanted to watch me bite him. But someone knocked and I rushed off because I wanted to get away from it, I didn’t want fake replacements for you. I wanted you.” 

_ Draco looked cold and distant. “Hey, sorry I said that stuff the other da--whoa.” _

    “I did ‘attack’ you as you so graciously put it. I was happy and I was sad and I was hungry, I was so hungry. Mortimer hadn’t fed me, and I just, I saw him and I jumped on him.” They watched in silence as Draco bit Harry. “You said it felt good, you, you didn’t push me off, you didn’t say to stop, you just...but then I know why you didn’t say anything. My saliva, vampire saliva, there’s a drug in it that makes humans wanted to have sex, ya know.” Draco looked away. He watched as he pushed Mortimer away, how Mortimer was trying to stop what was happening and control the situation as if this is how he had planned it. He had planned it, just not the last bit. The memory ended before anything got too back, he had stalked off to his room and threw a book but then it cut out and they all resurfaced to breathe. Draco looked to his right where no one was standing and Harry looked to his left where no one was standing and Hermione was trapped between them. 

    “Okay, so, tell me what you’ve learned.”    
    “I’m not a baby, I don’t see the point in talking about it again.” Draco said rolling his eyes and turned to Hermione. Harry turned and agreed and they looked at each other.    
    “Let’s go home.” Draco said and they all flooed back to Snape Manor and went their separate ways. Draco however, turned around and ran to Harry as he walked outside. He grabbed his arm and harry turned to see him. 

   “Would you like to, maybe, have a cup of tea before you go?” Draco asks, “Or something to eat. I’m sure Hermione enjoys your company.” Harry smiled and sighed, yeah he could go back in. It was easier to forgive Draco now that he heard his part, his piece of the puzzle. What had he been going through, it was shocking how well and quick he could forgive, perhaps Severus was right and he was only angry shallowly and he was trying to fix Draco. Just trying to fix something broken, even though Draco acted like he was very well in tact, but he was taped together, ready to crumble at any moment. Draco made tea and Hermione was nowhere to be found. Mortimer was lounging around, doodling on century old books, well preserved by the look of it. He drew a penis on one of the history book’s pages and then denied it when Harry laughed and pointed it out. Mortimer left him alone with a grin when Draco walked in with tea. He had already made Harry a cup and Harry took it politely and Draco made himself a cup to just sip at with practiced motions and muscle memory, not really needing to think. Draco had added just a little bit of his blood, to give Harry a feel of what it could be like, to whisper to him later when the other boy was rushing out to conceal his excitement that he could gift him with a satisfying relationship, or well, a satisfying life full of the joys and pleasures of skin. He could definitely offer that, and Draco didn’t know what they other wanted so how could he appeal to anything other than a basic need for all creatures. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not beta read. Please enjoy c:

    Hermione was visiting Grimmauld place and when she walked in she smelt the familiar cooking of Mrs Molly Weasley and then the weird perfumes and ointments that Luna and Xenophilius wore to keep away invisible and unproven creatures. She had a little something to ask Luna and a bit more of little something to say to Ron and a whole lot to say to Molly. Then she would return to her current abode and arrangement of living and ask for something that would change depending on how things went during the day, however, and she wouldn’t admit it, she would probably ask no matter what. Hermione had her hair slipped back, out of her face. Her frizz wasn’t wanted to make her look softer than she was, she was angry and hurt, and even though logically she knew that none of it was Ron’s fault, nothing was Luna’s fault that it was really just something Molly did and she probably meant nothing wrong, it just felt wrong. It felt like betrayal, she had wondered what it felt like, and now she had gained the experience.  
    Molly was cooking breakfast and everyone was at the table chattering. Luna was talking about how she had edited and written a few pieces for the Quibbler. She was boring Ron who was looked as sad as George was looking off distantly. Arthur stiffened when Hermione walked in. She nodded her head to Arthur and walked into the kitchen. Molly turned and looked at her and jumped. She had been scared by Hermione, the girl was being way too quiet and had startled her.

   “Hello, Mrs Weasley. Do you have enough for one more at the table?”  
   “Always, dear.” She smiled and went back to cooking things and putting things on plates. “Why don’t you go join the others while I get it ready and I’ll be out in a few.” Hermione nodded and went to the table. The table creaked and then grew a little to accommodate her to the table for breakfast. Ron and Luna turned their attention to Hermione who was sitting beside Harry who sat at the head of the table across from Arthur.

     “Hello Hermione, I hope you’ve been having fun with your vampires. Are they nice? I feel like one of them is very happy with you and the other is full of jokes, even though they are bad jokes, he is a silly vampire, isn’t he?” Luna was talking and she clapped her hands then her and her father paused and looked at each other. “What was that?” She asked and Xenophilius and her rubbed their necklaces with their thumbs and then they sighed a breath of relief. Hermione smiled and looked to Ron and Harry who were confused and trying not to laugh.

   “Yes, the vampires are nice. I heard you saw my death. Can I ask how it is I die?” Hermione’s smile faded, she was too young to die, and Severus hadn’t given her a long time to live, according to Luna, that’s why she was going to ask Mortimer to turn her into a vampire, so that she didn’t have to die like the others. She was needed, and she could not let anyone down.

    “Oh...I can’t tell you that. But I promise you won’t even see it coming.” Luna said, sort of against her own words, her smile fading and then reappearing when she was done talking and Molly started to spell the food in front of people. They all started to eat and Hermione poked at her food while Ron was eating everything gathered into giant spoonfuls. Breakfast was so much more peaceful and honestly so different where Severus lived. Severus made tea in the morning and then he had Mortimer pick up pastries and then they would each take one and then they went on their day. This food was so different. Beans? It had been since before Minerva that she had eaten beans with her breakfast. Minerva had tea and pancakes waiting for her every morning while the other witch drank coffee and took her potions. She ate it though, she didn’t want to be rude, and she didn’t want to seem stuck up, which was exactly how she had been feeling just then.

    “So, how have you been with Snape? Has he been a git? How mean is he really?” Ron asked and Hermione just laughed.

   “He’s extremely respectful of space and privacy. He makes Mortimer get us breakfast every morning and he sips on tea and reads or is looking through his stocks that he has written to see what he needed to replenish and what needed to be thrown away due to rotting or spoiling. He goes to sleep by ten almost every night or at least he is in his room. He doesn’t bother me and I don’t bother him.”  
    “Oh, well what a geezer, going to sleep at such an early hour, we can stay up till whenever, we’re finally free.” Ron stated and Hermione didn’t want to correct him. She knew that Severus went to his room at ten because that’s when she departed from him to go to sleep. She needed her sleep, she didn’t want to be too cranky to anyone, rudeness was just that, rude and she didn’t like to be the offender. Harry and Ron were laughing and Harry was talking about how Snape was just as weird as he was in school but now he really could be a vampire since he has a house full of them. Ron is curious when Harry brings up Draco, and Luna chimed in to ask about him too. She seemed to be holding back information that she knew about him though.

    “So, are you moving back in?” Ron finally asked, his hopefulness shining through, his desperation.

    “No, not yet. I have been invited by Mortimer to stay as long as I want and although I don’t want to take up his hospitality and annoy him, I would like to stay for a while longer. I will try to visit you more. I hope it will only be a week or so, he has some knowledge I would like to know and learn about, curious things from such a curious thing, that he is.” Ron glared, trying to pick apart what she was trying to say and what she meant. George got up and went to change his clothes. Ron was going to go with him to the Weasley Wizard Wheezes for the second time since Fred passed and Ron knew his brother needed him for this, so they planned on going together once again. It was a Tuesday, and although he was an honorary Auror, he still had responsibilities with his family. Harry got up as well to get dressed, he planned on going to work and helping the people look through the list of suspects for the murders. They decided that it wasn’t Mortimer nor Draco but that still left a lot of vampires to cover, not to mention getting into their covens to try and get the person responsible, if it had been Scrimgeour it wouldn’t have been hard, he was a vampire, but Harry, he wasn’t familiar with that, with vampires. Hermione excused herself to talk with Ron.

     Ron was changing when he opened the door to check to see who it was. He let Hermione in as he was pulling on the bottoms to the striped suit. Hermione smiled, he looked really cute in those trousers. She sat on the edge of the bed and put her hands in her lap.

    “So, what’s up?” He asked and she just took a minute to think.

    “I’m sorry.” She started and he stopped getting dressed, He had his shirt halfway over his head and he looked ridiculous. She motioned for him to continue to dress and he started to move once again. Pulling the shirt over his head and then pulling the white button down on and leaving it unbuttoned as he sat down to have a conversation. Hermione bit her lip, “Yeah, so, I reacted badly. I shouldn’t have yelled at you the other day and I shouldn’t have left you. I was being rash.”  
    “So you do want to marry me and have a family and that lot?” Hermione paused, she shook her head.

    “No, I-I don’t think that’s what I want nor is it something I need, right now anyway. I _need_ to worry about this whole ‘death’ situation. I don’t want to say that we can spend forever together and die because of some prophecy that Luna was spouting. I don’t like divination but dammit, Luna is probably the realest person I know, even if she is looney.”  
    “Always the logical one.” He smiled warmly, “Can I at least meet your friend so I can threaten them or something. That’s something I’m supposed to do as your best friend and maybe future boyfriend, again, or husband.” She thought he was taking everything pretty calmly, he wasn’t screeching like he did anytime he was around a spider or something like that, he wasn’t authoritative like that time in the woods when he was about to hurt Harry over her either, he was just relaxed and surprisingly level headed. Ron stood up and started to button up his shirt. He buttoned it up crookedly and so he started to unbutton the buttons and Hermione stood up and buttoned his buttons for him and he tapped his foot awkwardly and sort of like a little kid who was trying to prove to his mum that he could do something. She smiled and he buttoned one suit button, the top of two.

    “Well, yes, you can. Of course you can. I just, When you first proposed I was scared that maybe our relationship wouldn’t survive out of a stress fuelled war zone, but I mean, I still love you, I just, don’t know what kind of love it is, either way, I want you to be my best friend forever, or until I die.” She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Tomorrow, I’ll wait for you to come over to Snape Manor, I think the floo is connected, or you could fly. I don’t think the wards will let you apparate though, but did you even get your apparation license?”

   “No, well, technically no, but Shacklebolt doesn’t get on my case, I’ll take it later.”  
   “Within the week. Now, you should get to work. Maybe you can bring Mortimer a Canary Cream or something, it’ll be funny. He likes funny things. I’ve got to have a talk with your mum and then Luna.” She smiled and exited the room, but not after they hugged and Ron kissed the top of her head. She walked outside of the room and then down the stairs. She heard Molly and Arthur talking, she stopped to listen, a habit she was picking up from Draco and Mortimer (those little eavesdroppers) and when she heard the subject that they were talking about she felt the feelings they felt for a moment. Molly was near crying, her voice was cracking and Hermione never wanted to hear that sound ever again. Arthur was telling her that she and Hermione would be fine, that it was stupid but it was okay, Hermione would come around because Molly was a good person. Hermione agreed, Molly was a good person, Molly was a very cool mum and the closest thing she had to a mum now. She knocked on the wall before walking into the dining room where Molly and Arthur sat. Molly used a refreshing spell to make the puffiness in her cheeks and the red in her eyes disappear. She sat down across from Molly.

   “So, I wanted to start this by saying, I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I know it was a little extreme, I just, I didn’t expect something like that to hurt me. I had grown such a thick skin because of Malfoy and his stupid little friends. That little brat. But I didn’t expect it to happen so close to home. You are not the reason that I don’t want to marry Ron right now, although it helped me realize that I wasn’t ready. I would like you to know that I’m sorry.” Hermione stopped speaking since Mrs Weasley looked like she would burst if she couldn’t get a word in quickly. Mrs Weasley put her hands over her eyes.

   “I’m so sorry, Hermione, dear. I didn’t think that it would be such a horrible thing. I was honestly just curious, sometimes things like that happen. I realized after it happened that I had made such a horrible mistake. Just, please forgive Ron if you won’t forgive me. He didn’t know, he didn’t do anything wrong.”  
    “I know Mrs Weasley, I also forgive you. You’ve been nothing but kind to me and something like this isn’t enough to break up the familial bond we have.” She paused. She hoped that they would forgive her after asking to be turned into a vampire. She hoped nothing bad happened between them again, nothing too horrible, small things were bound to happen, it was natural but this betrayal was just so hard on her and she didn’t want anything like that to happen again yet she felt like she was going behind them and betraying them now. Luna strolled in and Molly laughed as the blonde obviously didn’t realize there was a conversation. She greeted them and then asked about where the milk was in the kitchen and Molly replied with the chilled cabinet. Molly wondered if the Lovegoods didn’t store their milk in a similar area, that wasn’t healthy if they didn’t store their milk in a cool place. When Luna left, Hermione excused herself to go talk with Luna.

    When she entered the kitchen, Luna was pouring milk into a bowl and then pulling a doll out of her pocket. It was made with straw and roots. Hermione watched as Luna put a few chili peppers in the bowl and then looked up to meet the brunette’s gaze.  
    “You would like to talk about your death, I presume.”  
    “Yes, when will it happen.”  
    “Today, a few hours after you leave this house.” Luna said, nothing seemed to phase her as she juxtaposed the doll around until it was in the right place. She picked it up, one hand on either side of the bowl. She carried it to living room and to her father. Xenophilius dipped his hands in the bowl of milk and flicked some on Luna before some on himself and letting Luna set the bowl down on the coffee table. Luna sat besides her father and wiped the milk off her face and rubbed it into her hands. Xenophilius did the same. Hermione sat across from them in the worn burgundy wingback chair.  
    “You should go now, and enjoy your friendship with your vampires while you have time. They will see you differently after you die and so will all of us, well, not father and I, but the others might. At least Ron will.”  
    “Will he think badly of me?”  
    “He will be scared. That’s all I can say, stop prying for information, cutie. Go along now.” Luna always spoke as if she were an old and kooky old lady, her father seemed younger than her some of the time too which was weird. Hermione made her rounds and said goodbye to everyone, leaving extra time to spend what little time she had with Ron before he had to go to work with George and then Harry before he was due at the Ministry.

 

    Hermione left and used the floo to get back to Snape Manor and she ran in and Mortimer caught her when she fell forward into his arms. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

    “Luna said I would die today, in a few hours. I have something to ask you though. So I don’t die.”  
    “Did you get a time?”  
   “Soon.” Hermione sighed and was whispering into Mortimer’s neck by this point, “make me into a vampire. So I never have to die.” Mortimer took a second to think about what she had said because it didn’t process but he pulled her back so he could look at her face. She looked on the verge of tears, or was that a tea running down her cheek? He sat down on the chaise and pulled her back against him and petted her hair.

     “I can’t, I’m so sorry.”  
    “Why not.” She sniffled, “You turned Draco. Am I not good enough? Am I not pretty enough?”  
    “No, no, you’re beautiful, I love you. I just, I don’t want everyone to hate me because you asked me to ruin your life.” She pushed away from him. She understood, angry but she just wanted to leave it at that. She could do something fun while she died, hell, maybe this would kill her. She walked away and went outback to get on a broom and just clear her mind but when she walked out to the back there was a woman standing in the middle of their made up ‘Quidditch’ field. She had blood over her face and her closed were old and torn exposing her skin in random places. Her fingers were claws and they were dripping with fresh blood, like she tore through an animal to get there. She ran up and before Hermione could scream she felt her throat be ripped out. She cried out a choked sob. If only she had stayed with Mortimer, she would still be alive, if only she hadn’t been so stupid and gone outside, if only…

  


    Mortimer sensed something off. When Hermione didn’t come back in he walked outside and saw something that shocked even his oldness. How did she find them so fast. It should have taken her at least a decade, he moved to England because nobody knew him there, he would never have gone there, they ruined their lives so many years prior. She was left in America near Canada to a tribe who had fed her animal blood for centuries. He knew when Voldemort regained his body and the influx of magic had happened that she was free, but it hadn’t even been a year. She had gotten smarter in her coma, she probably foresaw it, foresaw him. She always had a more mystical energy than him. Acheri stood up and held Hermione’s dying body in her arms before letting her go and dropping her. Hermione dropped and her eyes shut when her head hit the ground. Acheri hadn’t just fed on Hermione, she had mutilated her throat and chest, digging into the flesh and ripping her apart. Mortimer growled and he went to grab Hermione and take her inside by Acheri grabbed him.

    “I want you to meet me at my last killing site. You owe me, you stupid little boy.” If he were human all circulation to his arm would be cut off as she held him below his shoulder, her long fingers and even longer nails tight around him. She tapped her temple with her other hand.

   “I know what you’re thinking.” She sung, her eyes phasing in and out with colour to darkness, her breath gone, her mouth and fangs covered in his friend’s blood. “She was delicious. You want to take a bite. Take one, you never did care if you got my table scraps.”  
   “I hunted for you, you bitch.” He tried to shake his arm free but she was stronger than him, her insanity had only made her stronger, had let her rid of any restraints that a normal person, even a normal vampire, would have when it came to magic and the way to live life (or technically their un-life). “I raised you, all on my own and then you became too violent. I had to do something, you were killing everyone!”  
    “I’m your sister! You didn’t have to keep me away, locked me in a death sleep with your magic, you were better than all of those humans, those regular magicless humans. We were Gods and you threw that away, for what? Moral goodness? Your own sense of righteousness that was flawed to begin with? You threw me away for some human life that you didn’t want to live.”  
    “I didn’t throw you away. I kept you, and I had you taken care of by-”  
    “I slaughtered them all. They are no longer here in blood, only watching over us through the wind and sky. You did that. Their blood is on your hands, you can’t hold me responsible-”  
    “Of course I hold you responsible. And now you’re killing here, on this continent. How did you find me? I tried so hard to keep away from you, to be safe.”  
    “Safe? Is that what you are? Here? You mean living the life of a dog. Don’t think I don’t know about your human, the one you have been stalking and pining over for so long. What would happen if you just slipped and killed him? Would you join me? Do I need to hurt him for you? Will that make you listen to me, will it make you come back to me?”  
   “Go away, no wonder they named the demons after you.” Acheri backed away, she let go of her brother and clicked her tongue. She eyed the near corpse in his arms, she knew that he would turn her and that she would be on his side. Just another vampire she would have to deal with in the long run. She should have taken her for herself. She still might, maybe when she is sleeping or in her own death sleep, her coma, her cocoon, so ready to be the moth that she was, they were all moths, and spiders. They were deadly like a southern flannel moth or a brown recluse. She only knew of insects and arachnids from North America since that is where she had been her entire vampire life outside of her coma and the present. Acheri backed away, she had delivered the message needed, she could wait, she would wait and lay still until her prey was still and then she would snatch it up. Like the demon she was, she is. Acheri didn’t turn away, knowing her control and safety would disintegrate if she were to turn. She had to stay forward and watch him, he had to budge first and he did. As soon as she was a few feet away, he took Hermione inside. Perhaps he still trusted her, even if that was only a little. They were siblings, if they don’t have each other’s backs then nobody would, because nobody did.

 

     Mortimer took Hermione to his room. He should have just done it, Luna was right Hermione was going to die. Mortimer rested her on his bed, no messing with the gore that was her body. He bit his wrist and held it to her wrist. He called Draco down and Draco waltzed in like he owned the place before he stopped seeing Hermione in the condition she was in, he ran to her side and dropped to his knees to worry over her body.  
    “Don’t just sit there, give her your blood, it’s going to take more than I have to heal her.” Mortimer said as if it was obvious and Draco did as his maker did. It took several minutes which felt like hours and they had to wrap her chest and neck in bandages and cloth to keep her together, but her body was working on fixing itself. She was now, just dead. She would be asleep and they would need to feed her human blood to keep her creature core alive and functioning to heal her, as if she was a full blooded vampire. Draco disagreed and went out to feed, he needed to help her like Mortimer had to him. Why would she get human blood, he didn’t. This wasn’t a matter of jealousy either, he just thought that giving her vampire blood would heal her quicker and he was right. Mortimer was just so drained and disappointed in himself for letting her get hurt, he didn’t want to go out and hunt, he wanted to just feed her blood and hold her and hope she was okay. Draco used the floo to get to 12 Grimmauld Place. He stumbled out of the floo and dusted himself off. Two redheads looked at him. A woman, Molly, and a man, Arthur, who were getting ready to eat lunch. Two blondes strolled in, they looked like him, like his real father, like his brother. He started to breath.  
   “Hello, I’m Draco Snape, I come for -- er, I mean, I need Harry, it’s about someone important.”  
   “Hello Draco,” Luna said, “I have already owled him at the Ministry, I knew you would want to see him.”

   Molly was nervous and she stood up, “Would you like some tea, maybe something to eat, you look very pale. What’s wrong?”  
    “Oh, no, I’m fine. I just need Harry. I-I can’t do this without him, and I’m not sure that he’ll even be able to help me.” Draco said, he tapped his hand against his leg awkwardly. He wondered how Severus could be around these people, how he could be around so many humans, how anyone could. They all were staring, except the blonde girl. She didn’t even seem human, neither did her father. There was another man running downstairs and when he ran downstairs he froze.

    “What the bloody hell is a Malfoy doing here?” He had said. His teeth were crooked but he looked like he had some sort of magic in his mouth to make his teeth straight, it was weird. Then someone, an older lady who looked like him came out of the room with another older (younger than Augusta Longbottom though) and a baby. Malfoy looked at him and turned away. He heard the woman who asked him if he was alright scolding the other boy.

    “This is Draco Snape, this is Severus’ son.”  
   “No, my father is Lucius Malfoy, my brother is Hydrus Malfoy. Severus is taking care of me.” Molly quieted down and Neville creeped into the room and sat by Luna and his grandmother while Andromeda and Teddy sat in Harry’s usual spot at the head of the table. Draco turned back and he wanted to just forget that he was ever a Malfoy but he took a deep breath, he needed to appear human to these people, they would kill a vampire, who wouldn’t? He heard the floo behind him and Harry came out, he was worried and he looked at Luna was her message.

    “What do you mean something happened?” He asked and then he went to walk forward and he saw Draco and stopped before he bumped into him. He turned Draco to face him, he put his hands over his jaw and made him look at him. He nodded, “Okay, I need to go, come on Draco, let’s go back to Snape Manor.” Harry grabbed Draco’s arm and pushed him into the floo and threw a handful of powder at his feet and shouted Snape Manor before going into the floo himself.

    “I’ll explain later.” He said before throwing the floo powder at his feet.

    Harry ran into the room and tried to balance himself. He had been in the wizarding world and using floo powder for six years, almost seven, and he still couldn’t help but getting a similar stomach tugging feeling. Thank Merlin it wasn’t as bad as the Portkey though, that would kill him if he had to use it more than once a day.

    Before Harry could balance himself Draco grabbed him, “I’m sorry, but I need your blood.” Draco said, Harry pulled away and nodded.

    “Okay, but can we not do this in the middle of the dining room?”  
    “Oh, um, yes, sorry.” Draco took Harry’s hand and led him into the sitting room. Mortimer wasn’t up like he usually was. Mortimer was busy, he was on the bed next to Hermione, he was propped up on one elbow, watching as her chest still rose and fell, just waiting until it stopped, it would be soon and it would hurt very bad when she died, he just hoped her body could take the pain. He took her hair out of the tie and ran his fingers through it. She was his new daughter, his child. She would be this young forever, and it was all his fault. She would be ostracized in the wizard world as well as the muggle/no-maj world like any other vampire who wasn’t evil, who was good. She would never be able to accomplish her dreams, not unless she worked very hard to gain her footing again. Everything that she had built will be crushed and she will have to start anew. Relationships with her wizard and witch friends, relationships with regular humans, relationships with other creatures. It would be hard, that’s why he didn’t want her to become what he was, what Draco was. She was strong, she was smart, but to ask for it is stupid and what happened to her was all his fault. He should have said yes and offered it to her, her fear came from a good place, and now she would have her sire, her true sire, the one who tasted her blood, that would be her real sire forever. They simply helped her out of her pain and eased her through the healing process and death process quicker than the normal suffrage by draining and leaving to die on their own and turn. To make a vampire, one had to drain their blood near death and if they came back then they would be a vampire. They would be fine, unless they had help like blood replenishing potions, or with the right dosages of medication, or if they were powerful, like Harry. So powerful that their core wouldn’t be _tainted_ by their affliction, that core would die eventually and would likely be the end of his life and his life into darkness as a creature like the new and beautiful Hermione. Ms Granger, Mortimer’s tea friend, excellent student and challenging-question-asker.

    “So, why am I here? Did something happen to Hermione?”  
   “Yes, she’s dying and without my blood I can’t help heal her, and without your blood I won’t have any blood to give. I’m new to this so I don’t know what would happen if she didn’t get fed blood, but it’s probably painful and not good.”

    Draco had sat in the  sitting room and gotten comfortable (or tried to) but Harry wanted more privacy. He didn’t want anyone to walk up on him in a state of helplessness, like he had before, so Draco took him back into his room. Harry had a feeling this encounter wouldn’t end pleasantly but he felt like he had no other choice. He was doing this for his best friend, someone he cared too much about to lose. Draco sat down on his bed and Harry joined him. They both looked at each other and Draco looked at him.  
   “You should take your shirt off. In case I drip any blood, I don’t want you to get your clothes stained.” Draco’s request was weird, especially since Harry was sure that he read somewhere that vampire don’t let anything go to waste unless they were really a) out of it or b) distracted by something else, like when Harry had interrupted Draco and Hermione before Draco could close the puncture marks up. It was also a strange request since this seemed so urgent, but there was some civility and cautiousness and honest awkwardness that was keeping Draco from just taking and Harry was slightly in shock. Harry fumbled out of his shirt and rested it behind him on the bed. Draco angled over to Harry and he put his colder hands on Harry’s slowly but surely heat filled shoulders. He rested stomach up, Harry was flushing red and it was worse on his face than anywhere else. He let Draco press soft kissed against his neck and suckle the skin but then he bit down. Harry would have pushed him away but he was suddenly pushed back and crawled over. Draco’s hands moved down from his shoulders over his arms and to his hands, pulling them above his head and then holding them there with one hand while the other touched Harry’s chin, turning Harry’s head for better access to his jugular. Draco pushed down against him, the fabric on Draco felt so coarse to the suddenly heated body of Harry and he would have pushed him away but he didn’t, this was for Hermione. Draco moaned around the bite and Harry closed his eyes. He was grown man, how could he not know what this feeling was like. Well, he had never been with a vampire and he had only ever even come close to being sexual with Cho Chang and that was so long ago, he had grabbed her arse when kissing once and that’s as far as that got. He bit his lip and drew blood there. Enough so that Draco lifted his head up from his neck and went to  lap at his lips and take that drop of blood into himself.  
   “Draco, your shirt is rubbing me the wrong way.” Harry said when Draco slowly moved back to his neck, bloody kisses and murmurs about how good this was, how he would never find anyone as perfect as Harry. Harry doubted most of that, it was just his bloodlust. He did learn about that in school. He read a lot of stuff, the basics, they were taught about vampires for the first three years in DADA so it wasn’t like everything was a surprise, just some things. Like nobody told him that being bitten felt so good, or that vampires could use magic as if they were alive. Although he did feel like Draco’s magic was different from his and same with Mortimer’s or at least that’s what Hermione mentioned briefly earlier that day before she left to go back to, well come back to here, Snape’s Manor of all places.  
   Harry didn’t expect that Draco’s way of solving the uncomfortable feeling of skin against sensitive skin was to take off his shirt too, but when he did it soothed his human warmth with the iciness of a corpse. Harry got chills, the bad kind, when he thought about that. Chills that one gets when someone calls them a pervert or when they think about strange things to help them get off. It was really just weird and harry was about to back out but Draco kissed down his chest. He could feel the thin lines of blood cool and crackle against his chest and then Draco bit into his again. Draco was so busy holding onto Harry’s waist and lifting him up at an angle that was perfect for him that Harry managed to touch his neck where there was not blood leaking from him, rather there was sticky and drying blood in it’s place. It was slightly coagulated where there was no more bleeding and the loss of the toxins in Draco’s bite and saliva to keep it flowing.

     Draco pulled away from Harry and summoned Harry a towel and grabbed a blood replenishing potion from the bookcase just outside of his room and handed it to Harry. He went to the toilet to wash his face off and get the dry stuff off of his skin. He didn’t say anything to Harry, assuming that the other would be mad at him, and if they were in different places, he thought that maybe he would be angry. He felt like he had used Harry, and he had, he had used him for blood and nothing more. At least that’s what it sounded like when he said it outloud to himself in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Really, he was doing this for someone else, however the pleasure he took from drinking from Harry was indescribable, he needed to focus on who and what was important at the moment and sadly for Draco, it wasn’t the Saviour, the one and only Harry Potter.

   Draco walked back into the room, cleaned off a little.  
    “Would you like to come with me and see her?” Draco asked as Harry was wiping coagulated blood and dry flakes from his skin with the towel he was handed and the empty vial of blood replenishing potion sat beside him before Draco picked it up and added it to a little stand of empty vials that it was his duty to clean.

    “Oh, yeah, sure.” Harry said before standing and putting his shirt back on. Draco nodded and started walking. Harry had to jog to keep up with the other man and his longer legs but soon they were in Mortimer’s room and Mortimer was holding Hermione who was starting to die. Her body moved and her eyes opened and she started to scream and hold her chest. Mortimer held out her arms so she wouldn’t scratch at her bandages. That’s when someone entered the house. Mortimer was a little busy with Hermione but Draco felt it and it wasn’t Severus. Harry only seemed to notice Hermione and he fell to sit beside her.

   “What’s happening, sir?”  
    “She’s just dying, it happens to the best of us. It’s painful but it’ll be over quick, it’s the worst part of becoming one of us I suppose.” Mortimer was calmer, or at least he seemed calm but he could feel the blood in him pumping faster, the desire to breathe making him inhale and exhale like a common mortal, he was a mix between excited and scared and it wasn’t a nice feeling to have as the undead, especially when it turns your stoic body into a living vessel that felt things. Although most vampire skin was sensitive, it was hypersensitive to a point things felt good and pain was easily blocked out, as being a vampire brought along feelings of overwhelming bliss and being able to separate those feelings from pain in which you can then block and defend against.

   “So, she is going to be a vampire. Was there any other way to have saved her?” Harry asked as Draco bit into himself in order to give Hermione blood and hopefully calm her down a little, to help soothe her pain as she did die. When Draco pressed his wrist to her mouth he could already feel the little fangs that had come with her change and suddenly her skin grew paler and her eyes grew brighter and her hair would never be dull again and always full of life, a life she didn’t have anymore. There was just something so different about her, maybe it was one small thing that seemed to shake Mortimer but whatever it was, he left her with a soft kiss and went to go wait in the sitting room until he could talk to Severus about the situation they had found themselves in. Mortimer was for once glad that Hermione had obliterated her parents, now he wouldn’t have any tearful old people threaten to hurt him for helping turn her, even though Draco and his sister seem to have done all the work. The human was dumb little creatures and he wasn’t about to go inform the Granger’s (or their new name) of their daughter’s death and then show her to them with her new life.

   Mortimer used the floo to get to Severus, after deciding that waiting was taking too long and the news was too important, who was busy using his wand to start cleaning everything up, all  the mess and removing everything that he had mistakenly allowed Slughorn use. He should have never of been a DADA teacher, he discovered his wrong doings. (However, if he were to be offered the position, he didn’t think he would be able to deny it, since he was such a prime candidate.) Mortimer walked in to where Severus was sitting. He had pushed up a pair of reading glasses, he hadn’t the time to go to St. Mungo’s and get his eyes fixed, they were simply deteriorating with age, he was almost forty. While that was still young, he hadn’t taken care of his body and didn’t plan on ever really taking care of his body/temple or whatever the new agers were calling his flesh suit, the meaty bits of himself.

    Mortimer went to him and nearly fell to his knees. He dropped all the same and spread Severus’ legs and crawled between them to rest his head below his navel. He let out a breath, a sigh, a deep on that showed how he was feeling to the other man. Severus looked down at him.

   “What do you want?”  
   “Can’t you just pretend that you loved me and take care of me like I had taken care of you?” Mortimer snapped, he was obviously not in a great mood or else he would have bounced back from the comment, from the way that Severus drawled and monotonously spoke his word to instill fear and indifference on everyone in order to keep himself at distance, to keep himself safe from the vampire whose chest brushed against his groin.

   “Fine. What’s wrong?” Severus asked as if he was talking to a sad child, a sad child that he didn’t like, and he would likely send away due to being uncomfortable around people who felt other emotions.

    “I killed someone.” Severus froze and Mortimer reached up and ran his fingers over Severus’ inner thigh, tracing patterns and closing his eyes. “I mean, _I_ didn’t kill her, my sister did, but I gave her the breath of death, a new life, a life into darkness.”  
   “You turned somebody? Is it anyone that _we_ know?”  
   “It was,” he sighed again and his fingers found their way up Severus’ body before the rest of Mortimer caught up. Mortimer, now matter how much bigger he was than Severus, was still shorter than him, but he did wrap his arms around Severus and put his head on his chest. He could smell the ash and deadly plants on his black coat. He fiddles with a button with his fingers, twisting the fabric covered nub. “Ms Hermione Granger.” He let Severus slowly let it sink in and then he could feel the potions master’s arms move to embrace him. He made a humming noise.

  “And how did she die? If it wasn’t you.”

   “Acheri, I don’t think I ever told you about her, we were always so busy when we were together…” it was hard to think about it when he wanted that to be his once again. He had drugged Severus, he had tempted him with the drugs in his blood, he had offered himself, he had snuck into his bed and cuddled, there was nothing that was working, nothing had made the man fall back into love with him. He was starting to feel like this was completely one sided, there hadn’t been many indications that the other had wanted him as much as he had wanted Severus. The professor took a breath, if only it was as simple as the way Mortimer had been able to breathe, if only Severus had allowed him to turn him, if only. What was he to do about it now. Severus grew older and he stayed the same, Draco would outlive the man and so will Hermione once she’s in a better condition. She would need as much sleep and food as Draco had needed if not more. Her muscles would tear apart and mend themselves, her body would shut down only to be started back up with different reasons for certain things, her body would expel all toxins and human waste. She would be a corpse and it would take at least a few weeks. “...She’s my sister. It’s all my fault that I lost Hermione, it’s all my fault that everything has happened. I wish I didn’t know you, I wish I had never have met you.” Mortimer was starting to ease out of sadness and into anger. He was just so frustrated with everything. He was about to punch his hand into Severus’ chest cavity, it wouldn’t be a challenging feat, but he just moved to hit him and then rested his hand over his sternum. Severus didn’t know how to react, so he pushed Mortimer off of him and Mortimer turned back to rip him off the chair and smash his back against the floor. “Don’t dismiss me as if I was scum on your shoe!”  
   Severus grunted in pain. His spine hurt, his shirt where Mortimer had his claws, now extended, had holes through the fabric. His back ached and he was scared he heard a crack, but Mortimer didn’t seem to give up. He was sure if the vampire had hurt him, he would have calmed down enough to attend to him. He reached his arms up and brushed back Mortimer’s longer black hair and pushed it behind his ears.  
   “What is it that you want me to say?” Severus asked as he tried to wiggle out of the hold just causing pain to shoot through him and his older body and screaming out. Mortimer looked down at him and his foggy eyes cleared up and he picked Severus up. He left the more primal and brutal state of his nature and instead held Severus up and casted a few healing spells on him to make sure he was fine. He hadn’t hurt him badly, but he had bruised his bones which was always painful.  
   “I want you to make me feel better. I want you to tell me that it wasn’t my fault. That meeting you was good for me.”  
   “You really want me to make you feel better? Me? I think you forgot the way I used to be. Pliant under your fingers and sedated and content with your blood but never did I compliment you or introduce you. I was never proud of you. You were my burden, my disease.” Severus started but before Mortimer could hurt him again he put his hand on Mortimer’s chest and grabbed a handful of his shirt. It was crusty with Hermione’s blood since he hadn’t bothered to change. His shirt was black though so no blood could be seen in the dimness of the Hogwarts dungeons. “But!” He interjected as he could feel Mortimer once again wanting to cause bodily harm. He wasn’t sure if he meant his next words. “I want you to know, that meeting you really helped me -- I mean, it sh-shaped me, into who I am today. Not the cold bastard that everyone knows me as, but the stronger, prized intellectual, that I am at this moment.”  
   “It’s useless,” Mortimer whined much like his old self. He moved and sat down in Severus’ chair and Severus didn’t dare try to get him to move. He reached out an arm and rested his hand on Mortimer’s shoulder. The vampire raised a hand to cover Severus’. “You never could say anything nice. You were also so negative and cold.”  
   “I know.” Severus tried to offer because he did know that he was cold, off-putting actually, but he had never been told that to his face, at least as not like Mortimer had said it. Mortimer said it with a hint of laughter, a bit of joy, a small reminiscence from what had been, where there seemed to never be again. Mortimer pulled Severus to him and spun him in front of the small desk area before pulling him back to lay across his lap and over the arms of the chair. Severus groaned and his lids fell in a look of annoyance.

   “Let me go. I will not let you play with me like a doll.”  
    “But you were just so fun when I pulled your strings.” Mortimer laughed and pulled Severus’ body up. Severus was surprisingly pliable and moldable for someone as uptight as he was. He expected his movements to be rugged and strained but instead he was softening to Mortimer’s touch as if the vampire’s fingertips shot him with muscle relaxers. “Severus,” Mortimer trailed off with words that Severus couldn’t make out, they sounded rushed and strung together.

    “What?” The potions master leaned forward, realizing that he liked Mortimer like this, like it when he was given attention. Although he didn’t mind the negative attention he got for being a git, he liked this positive and caring attention a bit more. He pulled himself up to wrap his arms around Mortimer’s neck. He looked down at the pale skin, with lighting bolt blue veins marring the otherwise flawless skin. He wanted to remember how it felt to take Mortimer inside of him, in more than one way. He shook his head, he wasn’t attractive, he was a lonely potions master, a git, a arsehole. He wasn’t what Mortimer needed. He pushed himself away. Mortimer watched as Severus moved to stand across from him, on the other side of the desk.

   “I was going to ask you something, but I don’t want to now. Nevermind. Good talk. Come home when you can, just be careful, I’ll sleep outside your door to make sure no stray vampire wanders into your room to kill you or anything.” Mortimer went back to the floo and disappeared with the shout of Snape’s address. Severus moved to sit in his chair. He wondered what he could do about his face, about his noodly body. He decided he wanted to do nothing, he didn’t like thinking about those things.

 

    Draco had let Hermione drink his blood while Harry watched them. It was an intimate moment, he wasn’t sure if he could get that close to Hermione, definitely never in a way that Draco would ever be able to be with her, especially now that...well, now that she’s like him. He excused himself and then popped his head back in. He stopped by the room to tell Draco he had to get back to work and Draco just let him go. Harry was brushing off the feeling of rejection but then Draco ran up out of the room and stood in front of him. He walked towards Harry and bumped into him and standing like a wall, not letting Harry move forward. So Harry sidestepped and continued walking. Draco blocked him again. This went on for several minutes. Draco finally wrapped his arms around Harry. Harry just shook his head and sighed.

   “Thank you.” Draco said, “I didn’t think you would trust me enough to let me drink from you.”  
    “I did it for Hermione.” Harry abruptly says and Draco nods, his head above Harry’s head, which rested against Draco’s chest. Draco was just over a half a foot taller than Harry. The vampire let the shorter man out of his arms and turned on his heel. That’s not what he wanted to hear, but it was what he needed to hear. It reminded him that Harry was not his, that he couldn’t just expect things from him, that he never could and he never should. Draco walked away, he went back to his room while Hermione was busy in Mortimer’s room alone. Before Harry leaves the stairs leading up to Severus’ room and potion’s lab creaked and he could have sworn to have seen the rail shatter slightly, but he ignored it. What different did it make if Severus had a poltergeist or some sort of ghost like Peeves. It didn’t matter to him at all. He used the floo to get back to the ministry. He was back in his office and got his robes back on over his muggle clothes.

   Acheri had creeped down the stairs, she had accidentally busted part of the rail but more damage the easier it would be to make Mortimer angry and she wanted him angry. Wanted him to see what she had planned for him. What had he been thinking, she was always smarter than him, quicker. In actuality, her brain was simply wired differently, she could see things from an odd perspective and she used it to her advantage. Her brother would have gone to the place that he would think that she would never go, so that’s where she started. Honestly she had gone to Haiti first. Assuming that was as good as anywhere, not forgetting to stop by Louisiana. She could sense so many vampires’ presences there that she hoped he would be one there, but he wasn’t, and where did she know, or last heard was pretty empty, Haiti. She had gone to the remote islands on a plane using the money she had taken from the tribe that had been taking care of her. She was sure they knew what would happen if she were to wake up, that’s why she assumed they had so much money, so that she would be taken care of. Never did she see a drop of human blood since her incarceration and then awaking. She flitted by the room in which Draco was staying. She could hear his whines as he milked himself for all he was worth. She shook her head in disgust, she was lucky she didn’t have to deal with that mess of a boy in the room. Rather she went down the stairs, taking her time. She rested beside Hermione’s sleeping form and gave the sleeping vampire her blood, letting it trickle past her lips, through her teeth and down into her body which would absorb it to heal and make her stronger. If Mortimer wanted to keep her, then that meant she really meant something. She picked the girl up and wrapped the sheet around Hermione’s body and then tied it to her so she could not worry much about losing her while running with the speed that only vampires could reach, as fast as a no-maj aircraft, like a shooting star, and it would warm their skin nicely. She didn’t have to go very far, just far enough and in a place that Mortimer and these degenerates wouldn’t be able to locate them by any means, magical or otherwise. Mortimer always had been a good tracker, but Acheri had the fact that she was better than him at everything on her side.

    “Oh, my dear girl. You must be so important to them. Perhaps this will make him come to me.” She walked up the stairs and then walked out the back door before running.

    Acheri arrived far out into nowhere. It had taken her to the Cave full of inferi. She had maimed them all and let the ones she could control stay. The others were disposed of like the rotting flesh mounds they were. In the darkness and across the waters that surrounded the Cave and then the water that filled the inside, she had found a shelf in the Cave that she had moved her old rags she wore there and she lit the candles that hung around and floated around the Cave to allow the mortals she took there to see the horrors before draining them. It was always so pleasant when they asked questions or they woke up and started to scream. She rarely brought prey there however. She just didn’t want Hermione to wake up and be scared and fall or something that could wound her and put her in a death sleep once again. With the looks of things, Hermione had healed rather fast, someone magical, very magical with a great and strong core must have helped her with her healing. Much stronger than Mortimer and daresay herself. She frowned and went out to the boat to take the supplies out of and make it nicer for the young witch and now vampire to rest. If she were to get what she wanted she would need the girl to be on her side. Make her believe that this was her fault, and that because of it, Mortimer hated her. Or even better, that it was all Mortimer’s fault and she had to get revenge on him for what he had done to her. She didn’t know that Hermione had asked him to turn her, she actually didn’t know anything about Hermione, she didn’t even know her name for sure. She was sure her stupid sibling had called her ‘Hermione’ but she wasn’t sure. That was the name she would use until she woke up and was asked though. With the power of healing and rapid recuperation, her turning might even be faster than Acheri’s time. She rested her body against Hermione. The warmth from running so fast for so long and the wind burned skin that was healing already pressed against Hermione made the newborn and Acheri’s firstborn into darkness, wiggle against the older woman. She smiled, this would work, everything will work according to plan, even when new variables like Hermione change it, she was prepared for things like that.

   Once Hermione was safely still on the shelf in the cage, Acheri jumped off and landed on the crystals below. Her fall slow as if she were a feather. She cracked nothing and landed as if she were a dancer. She went to her boat and looked around at what she had. She had a things to make a fire. She made up a fire in the dish in which she expected something important and powerful to have been at some point fairly recent. In the fire she added a burst of sage green powder and she put her face in the cool flames.  
   “Fenrir, speak to me now.” She repeated until a burly werewolf was before her. He had changed his alliance quickly, wanting to cause as much destruction and overall havoc that he could. He was a valuable asset and still out of the hellhole prison they kept their wrong wizards. A place where Acheri had no doubt she could find loyal subjects and even more humans to turn into powerful beasts such as herself.

    “Good evening, Acheri.” The werewolf snarled. He had grease and blood running down his face. No doubtedly from raw meat or charred fat. She nodded, this didn’t disturb her, being content disturbed her, but gore and violence never deterred her from having the best time that she could have while accomplishing her goals.  
    “So, have you found an easy way into that prison you were talking about?”  
    “Yes. All you have to do is get there and it’s all been taken care of. Or at least I’m told.” He started but he wiped his mouth with the back of his hairy paw. “I don’t see why we need them, I have all the werewolves in Europe with me, all the best ones anyway.”  
   “That means you don’t have _all_ the werewolves. We won’t win this by power, you wolves are not as strong as you like to think to be, and wizards, most of these wizards are fools, letting themselves be driven mad, I came this crazy.” She rolls her eyes at his grumble, he obviously didn’t like that wolf comment, he didn’t seem to care about wizards which was a good thing. Many of the humans would just be there to help kill and to be killed, bait if you will. Some of the others, like the famed Bellatrix she had heard so much about was going to be a great vampire and others like Lucius Malfoy, well, maybe he would be interesting, although he seems to not have such a loyal personality, so maybe she would use him as a pawn. She hadn’t figured out who to keep and who to turn, it was simply impossible since she couldn’t test them, but within a fortnight she will have them all with her. She would wait until after Mortimer and her met, maybe even injuring her brother vampire to drain him. With him out of the way, it would be easy to let the other wizards to believe their killing whatever they dislike while she kills them and lets her humans die. Human were boring, it was time to enslave them for food and breed them like cattle, the only important beasts on the planet were the creatures such as werewolves, vampires, centaurs, merpeople and even the hags who she knew were somewhere around the school she was supposed to be meeting her brother at, in the forests where she thought she would likely find help. Something else to add to the list and them check off when she was sure she had gotten the best that they could offer before really letting them take over.

    “When will you free them?”  
    “Sometime within the upcoming week. I have a little puppy to deal with first,” she pauses and waits for a reaction, Fenrir doesn’t say anything but he looks disconcerted, “he’s my brother, a vampire, not one of your mutts.” Before Fenrir could growl or complain she pulled back and the fire turned into nothing. She was so glad that sometimes she could wield her own magic to do things that were harder to do without all this new regulation. Speaking of regulation, she needed to understand what was keeping everything locked up. She heard of the Ministry, the Boy-Who-Lived, the one who killed the last man who tried to take over, kill the humans, or at least everyone but the wizards. She couldn’t help but draw the parallels but then she also saw her cause as much better and something that would be easier. She wouldn’t give anyone anymore time to reel back from a war. She remembered the war, the American Revolution. She groaned in disdain before floating back to the shelf and jumping up to rest beside her new fledgling. She stroked the soft and bouncy curls. This new vampire would serve her well, at least she hoped. She was quite good with manipulation, but more so she was good at fighting for what she wanted.

    Severus hissed at Mortimer when the man grabbed his shoulder.  
   “Draco,” Mortimer started calmly, “Where did ‘Mione go?” His voice had increased in volume until he was shouting. Draco looked at the empty bed and Severus turned on his heel after batting away Mortimer’s hand. The vampire retreated. He had been gone for an hour at the most. Now his childe was flustered and embarrassed while his bed was empty. There was no possibility that Hermione had gotten up herself so that lead to one thing, and that was his bitch sister must have taken her. Who else would do such a thing? Disrupt a sleeping and turning vampire. Severus pushed out of the room and walked up the stairs, his feet were quiet, but his breath was heavy. They had to ask those bastards for help again, and that meant working in close proximity to some of his most disliked students and people he hated for one reason or another.

    Severus was writing a letter in his study when Mortimer slipped in, his back against the wall as he slid his form across the barrier. Severus didn’t look up but he let out a groan.

    “What do you want?” The potions master was not pleased, especially with the more recent development. If Mortimer hadn’t locked his crazy sister up and had just killed her then none of this would be happening. Not only that, but if he had just stayed with Hermione then the bushy haired girl would still be there because Acheri wouldn’t take something from Mortimer when he was guarding it, but he wasn’t guarding her. He was busy playing on Severus’ sympathy and Merlin strike him down, but Severus had grown to enjoy Hermione’s company. When the girl read she was quiet and when she was instructing Draco, she had never put him down as if he was at fault for not knowing much about the magic out of his small range of experience.

   “Minky,” Severus said. With a pop, Minky apparated into the room. “Get my owl and tell her to give this to Auror Harry Potter at 12 Grimmauld Place.”  
    “Minky can do sir,” she nodded her head and took the letter before turning to Mortimer and bowing, “sir.” She popped out of the room. Draco was sitting on Mortimer’s bed. He was instructed to strip the bed since Hermione’s blood as well as their blood had leaked onto the sheets and comforter and needed to be changed. He didn’t want to change it though because he didn’t want to accept the fact that she wasn’t there. It smelt like her, and it was rumpled just slightly more than it had been when she had been there. It was his fault that she was gone. Lately he felt like everything bad that was happening was his fault. Mortimer was upstairs with Severus. He could hear their whispers, faint but there. Severus hissed at the vampire and then there was the pounding of his feet as he ran up the stairs. Draco was soon joined by Mortimer who sat down by Draco.

    “Why are the sheets still on the bed?” Mortimer asked in a daze. Draco hurried and stripped the bed off the sheets, standing up on the bed and kicking them off with his feet. He sat back down on the bare mattress and Mortimer moved his butt so he could pull the sheets out from under him. He pushed himself back so he could rest against the wall. Draco rested his body against Mortimer who wrapped an arm around him.

    “Severus is angry. He doesn’t know how to express it though, so if he starts snapping at you, that’s why.” the elder vampire murmured, his childe content to listen to him talk. Happy to be with someone close, longing for the intimacy that could be shared with platonic touches and reserved touches. There was no need for Draco to pull away, but he did. He stood up and threw his body out the door, up the stairs, out of the basement and to his room. He landed on the pile of sheets that sat hazardously close to the burning fire. It was a fire that would never burn down, even if it lacked wood. It was magical. Magical like everything had been since he was a child, everything including the torture, maybe not in such a positive way, but there was power nonetheless. He bunched the cotton sheets up in his fists and pulled them over his body. The warmth from the fire and the cool, crisp sheets. His room smelled like heat, like a hot day or when one smells a candle too close, fresh linen - in Severus’ house it smelled a little like talcum powder and what he would guess a cloud could smell like, moist softness - and there was the lingering scent of Harry Potter’s blood from his bed. There was something missing, the smell of eagerness and bitter lemons that followed around his house mate, a girl near his age who was as smart as Severus. She was gone now, lost to the predator that haunted his sire, and how they planned on reclaiming her, he didn’t know.

 

    It was loud at 12 Grimmauld Place. It was near evening and George and Ron had come home. Harry could shake the feeling that something horrible was happening and that he was being kept in the dark, which was another unpleasant feeling in it’s own rite. He sat at the head of the table. Neville and Luna were conversing while Arthur tried to speak with Xenophilius - a looney man indeed. Molly was slaving away, ever since Hermione had come, she had been preparing her favourite meals on the off chance she would show up again. Harry knew that she wouldn’t, but hadn’t the heart to tell everyone, he also, despite some of his past actions, had a shred of self preservation and he knew he was just reminded of his own mortality with Hermione’s passing, if not birth into an unlife. He didn’t want to think about his friend being like Malfoy, the same Malfoy that made him feel things that he didn’t like feeling. Not because they were painful, but just because he wasn’t sure of himself, and he definitely wasn’t going to galavant with a vampire, a deadly being that could kill him quickly and possibly get away with the crime.

    Molly took her seat after all the plates appeared at the table. She wiped her freshly washed hands on her slightly stained apron that was hanging over her thighs, giving more volume to her multicoloured dress, loose and hanging over her pushed up knitted sleeves. She smiled warmly, as warm as any mother who had such a caring heart and passion for her children, and most importantly with the love she shared and gave to everyone. Her twinkling eyes, never as twinkling as the great Albus Dumbledore, man of few words, as happy as a bumblebee, were scanning over her children from her womb and children that she had claimed and welcomed into the family. There were of course, guests and the actual parents of the children as well, but she saw all of _her_ children (by birth or not) and she thought they all looked lovely: happily conversing with each other, some laughing and others grinning with their eyes. She noticed how down Harry looked though. His body tense and his eyes cast downwards, there was a forlorn look on his face as he bit on his thumb nail. She knew he had been called away, but he hoped nothing too horrible had happened. Ron was trying to grab his best mate’s attention and when he ignored him, Ron finally gave up and turned back to George who was starting to smile, starting to accept what had happened and trying to move on and be happy, because that is what Fred would want. The thought made him frown but Ron noticed immediately and changed the subject to a lighter topic, even though the ideas they were talking about didn’t make him sad, it was the fact that he was so used to developing new treats with his other half, a half that was gone.

    “Eat before you food gets cold, sweetheart.” Molly told her husband who was just as observative as her. He took a few bites and then kissed his wife’s cheek. He stood up and walked by harry, tapping him gently on the shoulder and asking for him to join him in the library. Harry followed his surrogate father, if it hadn’t been for Sirius or Remus (who were his first fathers) and then they stopped. Arthur closed the door and placed a silence charm on the door to keep their conversation private. There was still the look of abandonment, like Harry had just been kicked to the curb, as if he felt truly alone, and Arthur wanted -- needed -- to find the cause of his son’s displeasure.

    “Have a seat.” Arthur said, taking a seat in the same place Hermione and Mortimer had sat near the back of the library. Harry took a seat in the chair across from Mr. Weasley, who was shaking slightly with nerves. He hadn’t had a conversation with Harry about anything privately for so many years, it felt like the last time he was giving him a talk was when he was being threatened by whom he, at the time, thought was a ravenous killer out for Harry’s blood. “I don’t want to pry, but what’s on your mind. It’s been awhile since we’ve had a talk, man to man.”

    “I’m fine. Nothing is really on my mind, not to say I’m a...a _dunderhead_ , but there’s just nothing that’s been bothering me.” Harry had never been a good liar, and if he hadn’t gotten better over the years it was likely because he had gotten far worse. It just didn’t come to him, he liked telling people the truth, but there were some things that he couldn’t disclose.

    “We both know that...well that wasn’t the full truth, was it?”  
    “I’m sorry, Mr. Weasley, there are some things on my mind that I’m not at liberty to discuss. It’s for, er, work.”  
    “This has nothing to do with being called out in the middle of the day? With Luna’s predictions? Is Hermione alright? The other day Ron came home complaining about self-fulfilling prophecies.”  
    “Hermione is fine. I think she is safe, and I think she is getting her wish. She is very free. I need to go actually and, er, check up on her. Yeah, I need to go check up on her. I’ll bring back any information that she feels comfortable with me sharing.” Someone knocked on the door and Harry stood up and quickly made a beeline for the door. He opened it and Ginny stood with a letter in her hand.  
    “It’s for you, Mr. Popular.” She smiled and handed him the note before walking back to the kitchen to continue eating, maybe stopping to pick the owl a treat up, the poor thing looked feral and emaciated. Harry focused on the letter in his hand. It was addressed to him in his old Professor's handwriting. After five and a half years reading his chicken scratch on the board, it was hard to look at Severus’ writing with a quill; beside the notes he had gotten on how he was wrong on his potions essays, he hadn’t seen the man’s cursive or print besides what was done with chalk and magic. He opened the letter and turned to lean against the wall. Mr. Weasley had come to stand by him. His surrogate parents radiated nerves and uncomfort, the kind one get’s while telling their children about the birds and the bees for the first time. Harry excused himself and walked out of the room, pulling the corners of the envelope open and tugging the folded parchment free. He opened the yellowed paper up once in the confines of his room. From what he read, it seemed he really would have to go and ‘check up’ on Hermione. She was missing and he would offer them all the help and support needed to find her. She may have been in their care, but he was her best friend and that means he needed to be as involved as he could without stepping on anyone’s toes, although he wouldn’t mind stepping on Severus’ toes, literally, to see his reaction. The thought was a fleeting one as he hid the letter under his pillow and then pulled on a warm robe and went to the dining room to floo. He thanked Molly for the meal and told them to have a good night’s rest and not worry about him. He was making a house call for work. He flooed to Severus’ estate.

    There was an eerie silence that plagued Severus’ home. Combined with the falling dusk and lack of proper lighting and the mansion looked more like a Gothic death trap from a ruddy poem. He looked around, making his way to the sitting room. There was an uncomfortable absence of life or of proof of inhabitance. Soon Severus came rushing down the stairs and a house elf was at Harry’s feet.

    “Mr. Harry Potter sir, would you like some tea?” She was a frail thing, and dressed in what looked to be a dress. She must have been freed but came back to servitude. The more he looked at the elf, who looked up at him awaiting an answer, he realized her to be the freed elf of Barty Crouch. Severus must have saved her from Hogwarts. That was a very kind gesture of him, he felt like Severus had changed his brooding ways. This came crashing down when Harry told Milly no and Severus told her to make herself busy doing the laundry. Severus sat on his chair and pointed to the chair that he often saw Draco in, when he came to visit.

    “Milly doesn’t get to see many people. She’s usually busy when you arrive, she cleans quite a lot and she is very thorough in her job.” He said this as if he had never had a house elf before, mostly because he never had. He simply took the creature due to her being convenient, free and brought to him. Who was he to turn down help around the house? “I have called you here because of Hermione. You knew of her circumstance when you let…” he trailed off, his face looked angrier than usual, Harry thought that was how he always looked so he couldn’t tell the slight differences. The extra wrinkle on his forehead or the absence of a scowl but rather a frown with a scared person underneath, trying to seem bigger than necessary to keep himself stable. Without him, he didn’t know how his two foolish vampires would survive and apparently he wasn’t doing such a good job with them either. “...with Draco,” he finished simply, as if Draco’s name suggested and let him know everything that had happened. Harry couldn’t help but feel like his teacher was going to get him in trouble for snogging the the room of requirement or being caught pants down in the astronomy tower.

    “Yes, I’m aware of what happened to Hermione, albeit very vaguely of what happened.”

    “Of course, they are both dunderheads, I wouldn’t expect them to inform you.” He could have ranted about how incompetent his child and ex lover were, but he didn’t have the energy nor time. “She was attacked and is now a vampire. We suspect she was taken by the same woman that tried to kill her. She’s an _acquaintance_ of Mortimer’s.” Severus pretended not to see the suspicion in Harry’s eyes. The boy was obviously processing quite a bit of information and he was going to give him a moment to think of what he had just told him. He wasn’t going to tell him in the same gorey detail that Mortimer had given it to him while the vampire curled up on him and made him feel hot, hotter than he thought was comfortable.

    “And you need me to help find her? Why have you contacted me. If you lost her then why aren’t you out looking?” Harry stood up, outraged. How was Severus just sitting there? Speaking to him in that calm but harsh manner he had droned on through almost every potions class and the one DADA class Harry had ever been in with him. Was he calm? Did he feel nothing? There was an innocent girl out there with a monster who could be hurting her, or she could be killing her. More importantly, Hermione was gone. She was important and she was missed and she would continue to be until they found her. Dead or alive (even if she was only alive in a vampiric sense), she was needed. He didn’t know what he would do without her. She was going to do great things for the wizarding world, he knew it. She couldn’t be taken and _broken_.

    “We haven’t started looking because we lacked resources. How do you want us to approach the Ministry? Should we tell them of the threat this new vampire, who is very much like Grindelwald, I’m assuming you know of whom I speak as I hoped you paid some attention in your history lessons, and if you know who Grindelwald is you would know how close he was to having his wish. She has not only the resources but she has insanity similar to the Dark Lords with the cunning of the stupid Hitler wanna-be. We can’t just attack her. Attempting to extract your friend would be futile. We would die. We need you to help because we need someone to sneak into her ranks and someone who could see what she is doing from the inside. I may not be a perfect spy anymore, but there are enough vampires in this house to get close, and by enough I mean we have one that is capable of this.” There was never any spit that flew from Severus’ mouth. He didn’t reduce himself to vulgar behaviour when speaking. He was quite passionate in his ideas and therefore he was very loud and bitter, he resorted to name calling to try and drive his own mind across, trying to convince himself that he was the better of the situation and therefore take control where he had none.

    “So, send him out. What are you waiting for?” Harry took a seat again. He hadn’t heard himself, but it didn’t sound very much like something Harry Potter would say. It was very much like something a cold and insensitive being would say, very much like what Severus would have said if it was his friend or someone he cared about lost. Severus leaned back, his eyes calculating, just as analytical in his observations as he was in his reviews.

    “That sounds like a great idea, Mr Potter. Let me go tell the untrained and barely made vampire go to one of the newest and biggest problems that the wizarding world will be faced with. That’s a wonderful plan. I wondered where that ingenious idea came from, would you -”  
    “-Okay, I get it. Calm down. I take it back.” Harry put his elbows on his knees, hunching forward. His eyes moved rapidly as he was thinking about what to do next. How could they play this? He couldn’t go rushing into this problem in a Gryffindor way, not the same way that he had when he faced Voldemort. He couldn’t approach it in a friendly manner, fighting it head on like Albus had done with his own enemy either. He would have to do as the hat had suggested so long ago and be a Slytherin. Sly, cunning, resourceful and ambitious. “What do you suppose we do.” _You have all the answers, or at least you think you do_. He couldn’t add the last tidbit, but he wanted to say it just so Severus could have taste of his own medicine.

    “I say we first somehow slip the idea that there is another organization growing in the midst of the post-war efforts, we’re an easy target when we’re broken down. We don’t have the same defenses as we did before the war. I say you train Draco, in a similar fashion that Ms. Granger was teaching him, and then we can implant the false memories or the idea in Acheri’s mind that we have a traitor who seeks to join her. Subtle hints, perhaps this could start tomorrow when Mortimer meets with her. She will no doubt wish to hold up a correspondence so she can show him how she is ruining the world he so cares about. We send in Draco and then he can come to us and tell us what is happening. Within a few months, Hermione should be back. It took Draco nearly a month to sleep off his turning, I doubt she will even be awake by that time.”


End file.
